The World Is Ours
by MasochisticKitten
Summary: Four friends, one enemy, several goals. Envy has only one goal to achieve and that is to avenge her idol L's death. Things begin to get a little tricky, though, when old emotions for Mello begin to bubble back up. MelloXOC & MattXOC, rated T through most of this for language, and violence in later chapters to come. Overall rated M for sexual themes, also in chapters to come.
1. Before the Tragedies

~!*Author's Note: This is my first Death Note FF. I would really like to know how I did with this, so please, please, please review this and tell me how I did and how I could possibly improve anything in the future! Please and Thank You! /A.T.\*!~

Chapter One:

Before the Tragedies

My name is Envy. My birth name, though, is Emily. I was allowed to change it for my own safety when I was eight years old and moved to a 'special' orphanage with my twin brother. My brother is now known as 'Matt'. It would confuse me so much as a child, I eventually gave up and just called him 'Big Bro', 'Brother', or just 'Big Brother'.

When Matt and I celebrated our seventh birthday, we didn't realize that it would be the last winter we would see with our parents by our sides. The next day, they had gone out to run a few errands. Unfortunately, on their way back, a stray dog ran out in front of their car causing them to swerve out of the way. My father couldn't gain control back fast enough. They dove off the edge of a small bridge into the river below. At least, that's what we were told when we asked. I don't believe a word of that ridiculous story anymore. When we got word of their unfortunate and untimely deaths, my brother and I were with some neighbor kids for the night. We were immediately moved that night to the nearest orphanage just to be adopted exactly one year later by the owner of a much nicer, and more exclusive one. He told us his name was Wammy. If only we knew what we had in store for us at that very moment…

After we picked our new names and we settled into our new rooms, which were thankfully right across the hall from one another, we heard bickering. I glanced up, peeking my head out of my room. Matt copied my actions from his room. Coming toward us was a dark skinned girl with wavy hair going down to the middle of her back. It was a nice medium brown, much like my own. She wore a short pair of shorts with a plain black tank top. Beside her, was a slightly taller boy, with a blond bowl cut. He was dressed in all black. Matt edged his way out of his room and over to me.

"Who do you think they are, Sis?" He asked.

"I don't know. They seem…nice, though?" I glanced at them as the girl slapped the boy on the back of the head.

"Whatever. I just hope neither of us has to stay with them."

"Mello! You're such an idiot!" The girl shouted as they continued to near us.

"What did I tell you about hitting me?" The one I assumed was named Mello shouted back. The girl caught sight of us before she could respond. She stopped dead in her tracks. Mello stopped and followed her gaze to us.

"What are you doing near my room?" She questioned as she walked toward us.

"I…um…well…I was t-told I was going to be staying in this room…I'm new, and so is my brother…" I pointed to Matt as I inched a little closer to him.

"And who _are_ you?"

"Well, I'm, um…well, my name is Envy." I shyly held my hand out. She took it slowly as she smiled.

"And my name is Tease."

"Envy? That's…a weird name." I glanced at the boy who slightly snickered.

"What's so weird about it? It is no more weird than the name 'Mello' is, right? In fact, the only one right here with a normal name is my brother, Matt."

Mello's eye twitched in what I guessed to be disbelief at my straightforward attitude and aggravation. When Matt saw his expression, he mumbled to me, "Um, sis, I think you should just be quiet now…"

"Oh. Sorry, Big Brother."

"Hey, you two look a lot alike! What are you? Twins?" Tease inched forward a little.

"Yes!" I nodded eagerly. I loved talking about it most times. "We are! Even though we look practically the same in the face, we're fraternal twins since I'm, well, a girl, obviously. He's the older one by a minute, too."

"Wow, that's so cool! I've never met twins before! Can you two read each other's minds or feel whenever the other one is hurt?" Tease looked hopeful. I laughed nervously as she got even closer to us. Matt took a step back, kind of freaked out. All of a sudden she was pulled back on to her butt.

"Would you stop? You're freaking them out. And you know twins can't really do that!" Mello scolded.

"They can too!"

"Actually, I can kinda tell when my sis is in a bad mood. Even when she's smiling and playing. That counts, right?"

"Oh boy! Of course it does! See, Mello? I knew twins could do it!"

After that, we learned that Tease was my new room mate, while Mello was Matt's. Tease confided in me after awhile that her real name was Taylor, but I could never use it in front of the other kids or else they'd tell the guy who was in charge and she'd get in trouble again. I then told her my true name, and we became as close as sisters that very second. Knowing each other's true names, we both had a secret we were to take to the grave, and that bonded us.

She gave my brother and me a huge tour of the house while Mello trailed behind us later that night. She introduced us to three very special people as well. The first one we met was a small, quiet boy that went by 'Near'. He had almost completely black eyes, white hair, very pale skin, and was dressed in all white pajamas. He looked like a cute, fluffy marshmallow! I wanted to pick him up in a great big hug right then and there. I didn't, of course, because of how rude and strange it would've been. Shortly after meeting the cute little Near, we were introduced to the top two smartest children at Wammy's House. The second best was a young teenage boy that went by 'Backup'. He preferred 'Beyond Birthday', but around Roger (our caretaker, which I have disrespectfully neglected to mention by name yet) we were to call him either 'Backup' or 'B'. The absolute smartest person at the orphanage was a girl that seemed to be about our age named 'Alternative'. When I asked why they had such silly names they gave me grim stares as though I were an utter moron with no common sense. They explained that they were the top two successors of a famous detective named 'L'. They continued to explain that the reason Matt and I were there was because we were thought to be smart enough to compete in being the top successor. B pulled out papers from under his mattress and showed us what they were. It was a secret list of the students. They were ranked by IQ levels. At the very top was Alternative, or 'A', as she liked to be called. Below her was Backup. After that, it was Near and Mello. Surprisingly, Matt was already ranked as number five. I was just below him, and then it went to Tease. I guess that's what the exam was for just before being transferred to Wammy's House.

"What! I've dropped to number seven?" Tease pouted. B pet her head, sat down, and sat the small girl in his lap.

"Now, now, Tease. You're actually at number six."

"But…it shows those two as five and six…"

"Ah, yes. Allow me to explain. See, I read on Roger's computer that they actually have the exact same IQ, but it would not be fair to create two number five's. It would create an uproar of children claiming they had the same IQ level as a higher ranked child who would then demand a re-test. Soon, the whole orphanage would be beyond chaotic in outrageous claims such as those. Roger found it easier to just bump you down. He's a jerk."

"A big one!" She cuddled into his chest as though he was the most cozy thing in the world.

"B, shall I put these back under your mattress?" A asked, folding the papers back up like he had them.

"Yes, please." He continued to hold Tease, playing with her hair until she fell asleep. We stayed with the others until midnight getting to know one another. When we finally decided to go to bed, Mello refused to take Tease. B sighed, threw a subtle insult at him, and carried her himself. I bid the three boys goodnight, and tucked myself in after turning the lights out and making Tease comfortable. By the time I fell asleep, I found myself satisfied with my first day in my new home.

/. Five Years Later .\\

"Hey, Mello! Will you play Hide and Seek with us?" I called out, peeking open the door. Even though we were all twelve and thirteen, we still enjoyed a good game of Hide and Seek. He looked up from his books and chocolate, smirking in slight amusement as he responded.

"Depends. Who's playing?"

I leaned against the door frame, putting my hair in a side ponytail. I smiled at how his face lit up at my offer. "The usual. Tease, Matt, A, Near, and me. You, too, if you agree?" I glided over to his bed and sat next to him. I leaned my head on his shoulder playfully as his smirk widened a little.

"Why should I join you?"

"Because if you do…then…um…" I pulled my head up in thought. "I'll give you your first kiss. Yeah, that! You've been complaining about wanting one lately, right?"

His cheeks turned an almost invisible shade of light pink for a moment as he seemed to consider it. He shook his head and pretended to scoff at the idea. "Who said I would want to kiss you?"

"Tease did. Then again, I know not to listen to her. You have to admit that you'd rather kiss me then her, though." I giggled as he pretended to retch at the thought.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But, you don't have to. When you said Near was joining you guys, I had made up my mind."

"What?" I screeched, jumping up. "So, you just made me make an embarrassing offer even though you were going to play anyway?"

He stood up, setting the book that was in his lap to the side, and grabbed me by the shoulders lightly. "You should know me by now. I'll always play Hide and Seek if Near is involved." With that, he kissed my forehead and walked out. I stood there, feeling the warmth increase in my cheeks. That was the first time he'd ever done that, and he just had to catch me off guard with it. When I realized I was blushing, I mentally slapped myself and ran outside with the others. When I returned to my awaiting friends, Beyond Birthday had appeared.

"Beyond? Are you playing with us?"

"No, I'm not going to play with you, Envy. I'm merely here to visit Tease and her friends and watch you little ones play." He said politely, trying to give a sincere smile. I smiled in return.

"Oh. Well, then, would you mind sitting at the swings when we start so you can tell us who got there first if anyone makes a break for Home Base?"

"Of course."

"Alright already. I'm not gonna stand here and wait all day, Sis. Would you just tell us if we're in teams or not and get the show on the road?" Matt barked, reluctantly putting his Game Boy back in his large pockets. Tease glanced at him, a smile spreading across her perfect lips.

"Someone must be on the rag…" She whispered to Mello and me. I tried not to laugh so we wouldn't upset Matt anymore than he already was.

"O.K. you guys! We are not in teams. I repeat: We are _not_ in teams! Think of everyone here as an enemy at this moment. Now, on three we make our choice of who shall be the almighty 'It'! Alright…One…two…three! Not it!" I shouted the last part raising one arm in the air and placing one finger on my nose. Everyone managed to get out of being It in time except for one person. Near. I felt sorry for him. He loved playing Hide and Seek, but he hated being It. He was a master at hiding, but he could never find anyone. Even when he did, we all always managed to out run him and get to Home Base in time. Every now and again, I'd cut him some slack and let him tag me. He knew I did it on purpose, but the happiness that would dance in his eyes was worth it.

"Looks like you're It, Near. Are you ready?" Mello teased.

"As ready as I can be." Near's usually monotone voice seemed to be a little upset. No one seemed to notice except me, though. I shot him an apologizing look as he turned around to count to the usual number of fifty. That gave us almost a complete minutes worth of hiding time. That was more than enough for some of us. Once we heard Beyond start counting for him, we all took off in separate directions. Matt, Tease, and A ran off toward the house while Mello and I remained outside.

"Twenty-eight…twenty-nine…THIRTY!" Beyond shouted. I began to panic at that point. I had yet to find a decent spot and I only had twenty seconds to find one. When Beyond shouted out 'forty' I decided to give up and wait for Near to find me in the dead leaves coating the dry ground.

"En, what the hell are you doing? He'll find you! Get up here!" Mello whispered harshly. I looked up to see him above me in an old, abandoned tree house. It looked like it would fall at any given moment. Ignoring that fact, I quickly scurried up the ladder to the top and hid in a corner with Mello. When we heard the leaves crunch below us, I felt my heart beat speed up. Mello instantly grabbed me, pulling me in his lap and further out of sight in case Near's white head happened to pop up. I rested my head on his chest as we both held our breath. I could hear his heart beat. It seemed to be beating as fast and as hard as my own. If I didn't know any better, I'd think we were hiding from a hitman or something. There was no noise other than the crunching of leaves. When we heard the footsteps fade away into nothing, we let our breaths out together. I slowly moved myself off of him, blushing slightly.

"Sorry." He whispered. "I thought it would be better like that in case he did peek in. We were practically invisible like that…"

"It's okay. You're, um, pretty comfortable. But, I thought that was the reason why, anyway." I whispered back, smiling in obvious amusement at his own blush. I peeked down, making sure no one was hiding out to tag us if we got down. It seemed clear, so I signaled for him to follow me. Once we both got down safely, we dashed for the swing set. To my surprise, we were the only ones who had already made a run for Home Base other than Tease. With the way she was around BB, it didn't surprise us, though. If you didn't know their ages, it was almost like they were dating. Matt, Mello, and I found it kind of creepy, but each time we mentioned it, they'd both give us the same response. _"Age is nothing but a number."_

"That's weird. Matt's not there. Neither is A. Usually Tease is with one of them after someone makes a run for it…" I mumbled.

"Maybe they decided to be nice and let Near tag them?"

"Matt wouldn't do that. When he plays, he plays for victory. A, though…she might…I don't know. I feel sorry for him, though. He can't catch any of us. He even knows when we _let_ him tag us…it's such a pity, really…"

"Yeah, I guess. But we can't help being more fit than him." Mello spoke quietly. He seemed ashamed to agree with me. As we neared the swing set, Tease waved at us. She had moved to one of the swings and was allowing Beyond to push her.

"Higher, B! I wanna go higher!" She laughed loudly as he pulled her up higher and almost shoved her rather than pushed. Mello and I stepped out of the way of her slim legs, going to the slide that was attached to the swings. We talked about little things, such as chocolate types, while Beyond and Tease flirted with each other in their own sick way. It slightly creeped us out, but we didn't mention anything to them. All of a sudden, Matt and A burst out of the house with Near on their heels. He reached out, trying to tag one of the sprinting youths, but came up short. A jumped up, hanging from the pole that held the swings in victory. Matt slapped the pole next to Beyond and collapsed to the ground, panting. They gave whoops and hollers of excitement while Near gazed at the ground. I felt a pang of guilt in my heart. Ignoring Mello, I went down the slide and over to Near.

"Don't worry, cotton ball. You'll get them next time. I know you will!" I hugged him from the side, pecking his cheek. I could feel Mello's eyes burning into my back with jealousy, but I didn't know why nor did I care.

Near had admitted to having a small crush on me once before, but I softly turned him down. He was only a friend to me, and that's all he ever would be. Ever since then, though, I've felt bad for him. He wanted to be a little more than friends, but I didn't. I didn't feel that way for anybody, despite the rumors of Mello and myself floating throughout the halls.

After another hour of playing, we all decided to call it quits and do our own thing. I was walking down the hall to go play some video games with my other half when two familiar voices caught my attention.

"But why! That's not fair to me!"

"Tease, please, calm down. It's about time I leave here anyway. I've been hanging around far too long, and Roger is getting testy with me. I should've left long ago."

"But, Beyond! What about me? I don't want you to go…"

"I have to."

"What are you going to do? Huh? I thought you were suppose to stay until L retired." I could almost feel the betrayal in her voice myself.

"I don't want to succeed him anymore. I have other plans in mind." He spoke softly. I couldn't place it, but his voice seemed…_darker_ than usual.

"B, what are you talking about?"

There was a silence. For a moment I was afraid he realized I was spying on them and was about to scold me in the middle of the hallway. Then, I heard her gasp.

"Are you going to tell now?"

"….No. I want to go with you!"

"Wh-what? You can't go with me. It's too dangerous."

"Like I care. Beyond Birthday, you are the most important person in my life right now. I want to help you. If anything happens, I'll come right back here. And if I can't…well, then, I'll figure something out! Just let me go with you!"

Another pause. Then I heard his voice again. "Fine. I'll tell Roger you're coming with me for awhile, and if anything happens to me, then I'll make sure he promises to let you come back, alright?"

Even though I couldn't see her, I was sure she nodded eagerly. Not wanting to risk getting caught, I kept on walking down the hall, silently vowing to myself to let no one know of what I had just heard. I wouldn't even tell the great L himself if he for some reason asked me.


	2. A Fallen Group and A Strange Reunion

~!*Author's Note: This is my first Death Note FF. I would really like to know how I did with this, so please, please, please review this and tell me how I did and how I could possibly improve anything in the future! Please and Thank You! /A.T.\*!~

Chapter Two:

A Fallen Group and A Strange Reunion.

Time passed and happiness faded to despair in the halls of Wammy's House. Tease left with Beyond Birthday just to return a year later after his arrest for aggressive manslaughter. She pleaded innocent and unknowing to his activities in the time she was with him when the police questioned her. Due to her innocent demeanor, no one second guessed her and she was returned to Wammy's. A few months later we received word of his death. Tease had a breakdown at the news, confiding in our small group that she truly loved him, even with the knowledge of his activities. All of Wammy's was split in grief and fear. All of the kids would duck their head in fear at his memory, mumbling stuff like, 'To think a sick man like that lived with us…', and 'He played with me every now and again. I never thought he'd go crazy like that! He seemed somewhat normal.' Just when most children had started to begin living their lives normally again, another death came. Alternative was found dead in one of the bathrooms. I had been the one to discover my fallen friend…

That terrible night I was walking down the hall with Mello closely following me by my side as I searched for a bathroom. When it was just a little past midnight and the halls were dark, I could never find a proper bathroom to use.

"Mello, why are you following me?" I finally asked.

"There are weird kids here. Besides, Matt wanted to be alone with Tease so he could try and comfort her and I didn't feel like being alone until you got back."

"You know, I never thought she and Backup, may he rest in peace, would get so close like that with the age difference and all."

"Yeah, same here…"

"A bathroom!" I squealed, rushing to it. "Well, you stay out here while I use the bathroom, alright?" I placed my hand on the doorknob, smiling at him as he nodded. I had just barely opened the door and flipped the light on when I saw her. I fell backward, squirming my way against the wall opposite of the bathroom.

"Oh, God…NO!" I cried out, covering my mouth. I couldn't look away. Alternative was laying limply in the tub. She was dressed in her normal night time outfit of a tank top and shorts. Her left arm was hanging over the side. Partially dried blood stained her arms, thighs, and torso. It had also stained the floor and the sides of the bath tub. Mello ran to my side, confused by my reaction after simply turning the light on. He glanced in, then hugged me tightly. He pressed my head to his chest, not letting me look any longer than I already had. I buried my head into him. I didn't want to see it anymore. It was too sickening. As I cried, Mello stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head. He tried telling me everything was going to be okay. I just shook my head and cried even harder. He rushed to pick me up and quickly took me to his room so we wouldn't bother Tease and Matt in my room.

"I'm going to tell Roger. Will you be alright in here while I'm gone?"

"…Y-yes…" I mumbled, hugging on to his pillow as I cried a little more. I stayed alone in his room for what seemed like eternity before he returned. He sat down next to me, pulling me into his arms once more. We eventually went from sitting up to laying down. We stayed like that the rest of the night. Even when I fell asleep, he kept hold of me. He just covered us up and fell asleep himself. By the next morning, all had heard of Alternative's suicide. Everyone was already mourning. It had only been two weeks since Beyond's death, and now the first in line gave in to her pressure.

There we were. The last five of our group sat in Matt and Mello's room in utter silence. Mello and I sat on his bed, my head resting on his shoulder, and his arm wrapped around my side. Matt sat on the edge of his bed, playing with his orange-tinted goggles. Near sat in the floor at Matt's feet while he twirled his white hair. Tease sat in the boys' plain black bean bag chair and just stared at the floor. No one spoke. No one moved. It seemed no one even dared to breathe. Everyone but Matt jumped when I finally spoke up.

"What now? Two have gone. Which one of us is next? Who will Death take next?" I looked straight at Near who avoided my gaze. I lowered my eyes to the sheets I was sitting on.

"No one. We're all going to live. No one will give in to any pressure there is surrounding us." Tease spoke very quietly. Her lips barely moved as she spoke.

"It'd be easier to now, though. We've all been bumped up two spaces. Near's no longer three. Mello is no longer four. Matt is no longer five. They are now one, two, and three. That's a lot of pressure in my opinion." I felt Mello tense up, then his grip around me tightened.

"Who cares, Sis? We're still the same people we were. Just because some unfortunate events have supposedly moved us up means nothing!" Matt threw his goggles down in rage. We watched them slide under the dresser. I tensed up and grabbed Mello's free hand when he did this. Matt never got enraged enough to throw things. I took in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what I was apologizing for, but it just felt right.

"If we sit around like this much longer, Roger will become disappointed in us. We should just try and act like we aren't bothered around him." Near said after another few minutes of silence. We all quietly agreed with him.

Another month passed by. Most of everyone seemed to be doing just fine. It was almost as though Alternative and Backup were never even there. It was sad to me how two people could be considered so important to all of the children, and then in an instant, only five of their friends even cared that they were gone. Each time A or B would be mentioned to someone of our group, we'd become fidgety. Tease would play with the hem of her shirt, which was once Beyond's. It was one of the few things he had that he gave to her. I would just lower my head and refuse to go any further into the subject. The guys would become a little harsh and keep walking. Even Near would bark out at someone when he didn't want to talk about it.

It was the day before it was officially winter when more depressing news came to Wammy's House. It had just finished snowing, and we were all outside on the indoor/outdoor porch. Tease was sitting on the railing with Matt next to her. She was cheering him on as he played some kind of Pokemon game. Near was playing with a puzzle on the ground. Mello sat on the ground in front of me and allowed me to play with his thick, golden locks. I had just bent down enough to lay my head on his when we heard the door open slightly. Tease, Mello, and I glanced up at Roger. He was peering down at Mello and Near. He asked for the two of them to follow him and ordered the three of us inside before we caught some kind of sickness from the chilly air. Tease scoffed and declared she was immune to any kind of sickness. I rolled my eyes at her with a smile and ushered her and Matt into our room. We stayed there, joking about stupid stuff when we heard Mello swearing down the hall. Not being able to stop our curiosity, we all peeked out at him.

"Mello, what's with you?" Matt asked.

"L is dead! That's what's with me! And that damn Near was chosen over me!" He swung his door and slammed it shut. Tease and Matt glanced at one another then shrank back onto her bed. I shut the door as I went across the hall. I nervously knocked on the door.

"What the hell do you want?" He barked.

I carefully opened the door. I shut it, going to sit on his bed. He was going through his dresser for something. I took notice that his grey and black overnight bag was next to me.

"What are you planning, Mel?" I glanced at him before averting my eyes to stripped tank-top.

"…I'm leaving." He threw a wad of clothes into his bag and moved back to the dresser.

"You're…leaving? Really?" My voice cracked. I was on the verge of tears, but I couldn't let them out. Not yet, at least.

"Yes. I can't stay here any longer. Besides, I'm almost fifteen. I would've had to leave soon anyway." He stopped his movements and looked at something in his hand. I heard him sigh just before he picked up his bag and began walking out. He didn't even glance at me as he opened his door and walked out.

"Me…Mello!" I called out for him, but he didn't stop. I followed him all the way to the gate.

"What do you want?" He finally snapped. I couldn't stop my tears anymore. They came spilling out over my cheeks, dripping off my chin on to my chest.

"Please…don't leave me just yet." I watched the ground as I felt my cheeks warm up from the way he was looking at me. He set his bag down and walked over to me. His arms wrapped around me tightly. I lightly put my arms around him in return.

"You'll be fine without me. But, would you feel better if you had something to remember me by?" He whispered in my ear.

"Yes…I think I would, actually…" I whispered back. He pulled back a little bit and told me to close my eyes. I did as he said and waited. I felt him put something around my neck. I smiled when I felt it. I opened my eyes and played with the new item around my neck as I looked at him. It was a simple golden cross with Jesus on it. He placed his palm on the side of my face and wiped my tears away with his thumb.

"Are you going to be alright?" He murmured. I nodded slowly, trying to smile like I had been just a moment ago. He sighed and picked his bag up once more. Just as he was leaving, I got my nerve up to do something I'd never done before.

"Mello, wait!"

"What is it now, En-"

I cut him off as I got on my tip toes and ever so lightly pressed my lips to his. There was barely any pressure. I heard his bag drop off his shoulder in shock. I felt his hands lightly be placed on the side of my face as he fully pushed our lips together. We pulled apart after about five seconds. He just looked at me.

"What was that for?" He finally asked.

I felt my cheeks light up again as I replied. "I guess I just wanted to be your first…"

He smirked, twisting my words around. I smacked my forehead in embarrassment as he grabbed his bag again, and walked out of the gates.

"Nicely done, Envy!"

I jumped at Matt's voice. I spun around to see Tease and Matt just a few feet away from me. My face turned pink again as Tease came over to me.

"You wanted to be his first? You are too young for that, missy!"

"I…I didn't mean it like that! I meant first kiss! Kiss!" They continued picking on me, even after I ran in the house and locked myself in a bathroom.

/. One Year Later .\\

I was walking down the street, humming to myself. I had left Wammy's House with Tease and Matt just four months ago. We now were living happily in Los Angeles in a small apartment together. I was on my way back home from dropping off some mail for Matt addressed to Roger when I decided to take a simple shortcut. As I turned down the alley, my stomach growled lightly.

"Damn…I hope Matt's making dinner right about now…I'm starving." I mumbled to myself. I shoved my hands in my pockets, lost in my thoughts. I was so lost in my mind, I didn't see the guy creeping up to me past the dumpster. He grabbed my upper arm roughly.

"Hey, little girl. How would you like to make a quick buck?" His scratchy voice was low. I pulled against his grip.

"No, thanks, creep."

"I don't take no for an answer, baby." He slammed me against the brick wall. My head bounced off the wall. I was sure I could feel a small amount of blood escaping. I tried to reach for the mace I had in my back pocket, but he pinned both arms above my head. Just as he bent down toward my neck, a gun was shot. The guy fell over, clutching his side.

"What the fuck?" He shouted. He screamed in pain as he grabbed at his side again. I was frozen. I couldn't move. I glanced over at where the shot came from. I held my breath at the sight.

"Don't lay a finger on a helpless girl, you bastard." Another shot rang throughout the quiet alley. I stared at the now lifeless body before me. My heart was pounding. I gripped the cross around my neck. The man that had just saved my life came toward me. I fell to my knees, shaking from fear. I just gazed at the boots in front of me as I thanked the man.

"Thank you…thank you so much! I don't know what would've happened if you had never come through here, sir! I thank you with my whole heart…"

"….Sir? Do I really look like an old man to you, En?"

I slowly looked up at the face of my savior. I gasped. I took the hand that was now outstretched toward me.

"Mello?"

"You just noticed?" His voice was low and harsh. I nodded slightly, completely lost in thought. I glanced down at the body still beside us as sirens came into ear shot.

"Damn! Just come with me." He gripped my wrist and dragged me toward the end of the alley, tossed me on the back of a motorcycle, and took off. I had no clue where we were going, and I was scared out of my mind, but I still held him tightly in relief. I laid my head on his back and didn't move the whole time we were riding. We eventually pulled up to a very shady looking place. It looked like it used to be a warehouse, but had shut down at least ten years ago. Mello climbed off the now quiet motorcycle and helped me off.

"Where's Matt?" He didn't even look at me as he took the leather jacket off.

"At our apartment. We moved here about four months ago. Tease is with us, too."

"How did you know I was here?"

"Oh…well, we didn't know you were in this part of L.A., actually. We heard a rumor you were here, so Matt decided we should move here and try to find you. We were going to get completely settled then look for you on Matt's request."

"Hmph." He began walking to the building. I just stood there, trying to figure out why he was being so…distant.

"Well, are you coming?" He snapped. I squeaked a little as I caught up with him. The closer we got to the building, the closer he got to me.

"Are you…staying in this place?" I spoke quietly.

"…Yeah…It's going to shock you, but I'm part of the mafia now." He glanced at my face before continuing. "There are some disgusting guys in there, so I want you within my reach, got it?"

"Yes."

As we entered the old building I got an instant whiff of cigars, beer, and mold. Mello glanced back at me when I coughed lightly. I could see a smirk on his face appear. The further we went, the louder voices got and the stronger the smell got. When I heard glass break, I instinctively moved a little faster to be closer to Mello. I blinked furiously when we got to a some-what brightly lit room with men littered everywhere with women in some of their laps. Mello tried to keep walking, but a guy stopped him.

"Hey, Mello, if you needed a girl, one of these could've helped ya out."

"She's not a whore. I know her personally." He grabbed my hand and began pulling me when the guy spoke again.

"You don't have to be so rude. Hey, what's your name little girl?"

_Little girl? Did he really just call me 'little girl'? That's twice in the last damn hour! _"My n-name is Envy. How do you do?" I nodded my head toward him politely as Matt always taught me to do.

"Ha-ha-ha! Look at that! She's polite! We ain't never seen a pretty girl who-" He was cut off by my phone suddenly singing Misery Business by Paramore. I quickly pulled it out, feeling embarrassed. I silenced it as I read the name.

"Brother…" I mumbled. "Um, Mello?"

"Need to call him back?"

"Yes…if I don't, he'll become very worried. I was actually supposed to be home fifteen minutes ago, so he's probably worried enough as it is now…"

"Come on, then." He tightened his grip on my hand and pulled me to his room, shutting the door and locking it. He nodded at me, sitting down on his bed. I redialed Matt's number. He picked up on the first ring.

"Where are you? Are you alright?"

"Yes, Matt, I'm fine. I actually had a small incident on the way home, but you'll never guess who came to my rescue."

"Why should I care?"

"Because it's your best friend, idiot. Mello found me." I smiled to myself. It felt really good to say that for some reason.

"No way! Well, where are you?"

Mello must've heard him and expected him to ask that, because the second the words seeped through the receiver, Mello snatched the phone away from my hands.

"Matt. It's Mello. It's probably too late for us to catch up, so if it's alright I'll just bring her to you guys tomorrow around one." There was a short pause, then Mello agreed with something, snapping the phone shut. He tossed it back to me, telling me that I'd be staying with him for the night. We sat in silence for a few minutes after that.

"So…" I mumbled, trying to find a subject.

"You wear make up now." He stated.

"Yeah…after you left, Matt and I kinda changed."

He looked up at me. "How?"

"Well, I halfway turned to the emo/goth style of make up and clothing, and he, um, started smoking."

"Oh."

Silence. If felt good being back with him, but something about him was off. I couldn't put my finger on it, though…

"Are you hungry?" He suddenly asked.

I glanced at him. He had another amused smirk. Just then I realized why, for it happened again. My stomach let out an amazingly loud growl. I blushed slightly, nodding my head.

"I skipped lunch today and I was going home to get dinner when we ran into each other…"

"Skipping meals isn't healthy." He glided over to his dresser, getting a long sleeved shirt and a pair of boxers out. He tossed them at me, telling me to change while he got me food. I looked at the dark clothing in my hands as he left the room. I quickly ditched my current tank top and jeans and slid the shirt on. I hesitated with his boxers, but slid them on anyway. The shirt was rather large on me, but I didn't mind. Even though it was long enough to cover the boxers I had on, it was comfortable. I sat on the edge of his bed, looking around the room as I waited. I had just laid back and stretched my arms over my head when I heard the door open. I quickly sat up to see Mello with a plate. He eyed me over as he gave me the plate of reheated food. I smiled politely and began eating.

"You still have the necklace I gave you?" He sounded genuinely surprised.

"Yeah. It's my comfort object. I have to have it with me, or else I feel naked and incomplete." I played with cross for a moment with a smile before returning to eating.

He continued to watch me as I finished. After that, he got a chocolate bar out, and we talked nonchalantly like that for at least three hours. When I asked where I was going to be sleeping, he ignored me. He simply got up and took off his vest, revealing his slim body and slightly chiseled abs. He smirked at me when he and I both realized I was watching him change. I averted my eyes as he changed out of his leather pants and into normal black lounge pants.

"So, where am I going to sleep?" I asked again.

"With me. I don't trust you being alone in a room with those guys. They have no boundaries." He came over, pulled the blanket back and allowed me to get comfortable first. I stayed on one side while he stayed on the other.

"Goodnight, Mello…"

"Uh, goodnight." He turned the light out and rested his head.

"By the way, I've missed you." I whispered just as I fell asleep.


	3. Together Again

~!*Author's Note: This is my first Death Note FF. I would really like to know how I did with this, so please, please, please review this and tell me how I did and how I could possibly improve anything in the future! Please and Thank You! /A.T.\*!~

Chapter Three:

Together Again.

I woke up the next morning to an empty room. With a small sigh, I sat up in Mello's queen sized bed. Hugging my knees to my chest, I looked around his room. It had pretty much no decoration at all. I noticed on his night stand, though, his rosary. Without thinking much of it, I slid over and picked it up. I felt the cool beads and cross in my palm as I eyed it over. I found myself smiling at the memory of him owning it at Wammy's.

"You're finally awake?"

I looked up at him, sitting up straight a little more, as he walked in the room. I placed his rosary back down and nodded. He came over, grabbing his rosary and placing it around his neck as he spoke again.

"It's about time. We have to find Matt and Tease in an hour. He called your phone again while you were asleep and we decided to meet for breakfast."

"You agreed to eating out?"

"Not really. Matt said you'd enjoy it, so I just gave in. I didn't feel like arguing with him."

"Oh. Well, then, I guess I'll change and we can go." I got up, went over to my pile of clothes, and began to lift my borrowed dress like shirt. I stopped when I had exposed my stomach, realizing Mello was still in the room.

"Uh…Mello…" I began.

"Just hurry and change." He barked while becoming suddenly interested in the wall opposite of where I was, his back facing me. I shrugged, changing quicker than usual. Once I had brushed my hair and grabbed my phone, we were gone. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along a little faster when we got to the main area. We heard behind us some of the guys make comments to me. Mello just squeezed my hand harder in anger and pulled me along a little rougher. He helped me on to the back of his motorcycle, put the helmet on my head, and climbed on himself.

"Are you not going to wear anything?"

"Don't need it."

"But, what if-"

"Don't start that crap. I have no flaws when I ride this thing."

"Oh. Alright then."

"I want you to hold on tight to me. I don't plan on being late." He glanced back at me as I put my arms around his waist. When he took off, I couldn't help but tighten my grip a little more. He went so fast, and would just weave past any vehicle that got in his way. A few times, I thought we were going to flip over or crash into another car. I was beyond relieved when we pulled into an iHop parking lot. I pulled the helmet off and handed it to him as I got off the two-wheeled beast. I scanned the parking lot, instantly seeing Matt's new, (Well, it was used, but it was new to him) cherry red '98 mustang. The second we walked in, Tease was draped around my shoulders in an embrace. I awkwardly pat her back.

"You had us really worried, you know!" She practically shouted. I put my hand over her mouth.

"I know, I know! I'm sorry! And would you not shout? You're gonna make people stare at us…"

Her response was to lick my hand. I jumped back from her, spitting out many 'ews' as I wiped my hand on my jeans. I heard Matt chuckle in the background and Mello sigh impatiently.

"Just like old times, isn't it? Tease grossing Sis out, and Mello looking annoyed…good times. Good times." Matt trudged up next to Tease, tossing his arm around her shoulders. With his other hand, he flicked my nose.

"So where did you find him?"

"Actually, he found me. Get us a table, and I'll tell you the story." I went to grab his goggles, but they weren't there. I blinked in confusion for a moment, looking over at Tease's head. She was wearing his infamous orange-tinted goggles. I made a note to myself to ask about that later. Once we got our table, I began telling my brother and friend of how Mello saved my virginity, and possibly my life. When Tease began picking on him, asking if he was still in love with me, he shot her a glare and told her to shut up. He seemed to get a little more upset at mentioning the past.

"So, Matt, why is little ol' Tease wearing your goggles? You barely even let me, your female counterpart, touch them, let alone wear the damn things."

He shrugged lightly. Tease smiled a little and bit off a piece of bacon.

"You two a thing now or something?" Mello asked.

"Nah, man. Just friends. She took them off my head and I just didn't bother fighting her to get them back."

"Right, right. You have no problem _shoving_ me in the _floor_ to get them back, but you can't find it in yourself to take them from Tease again? Okay." I smirked in amusement as I took a sip of orange juice.

"Shut it, Sis. Please. Anyway, Mello, where are you living now?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I want to make a deal with you." Matt shoved the last little bit of toast in his mouth as I reached for it, earning a glare from me. Tease chuckled. Mello barely smirked.

"I'm with some guys right now. Not the type you'd like, either."

"Whatever. Got any extra room for three other people in your place?"

"Matt, what are you getting at?" Tease asked slowly.

"I think we could fit you in. You don't want to be there, though. I…," He glanced around, lowering his voice and leaning over the table as he played with a piece of bacon, "I'm working with the mafia now."

"I don't care. You saved my sister, you're my best friend, and I'm not going to let you vanish again. Can you fit the three of us in?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a second!" Tease was beginning to become flustered. "You're not really suggesting we move in with him and those junkies, are you?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Why?"

"Lower your voice. I have my reasons. I already said one reason, and the others should be plain for you to see."

"Whatever, Matt. I refuse to live in the same place as him!" She was shouting now. She obviously didn't care about the people staring at her. She seemed focused on getting her way again. Matt seemed focus on getting his way for once. This was going to be interesting.

"T, be quiet. Seriously, people are staring…" I pleaded with her.

She jumped up, her chair falling backward behind her. "I don't give two fucking shits if people are staring! I refuse to move there! You can't make me!"

"Sis, pay and then meet us outside." Matt tossed his wallet at me, grabbing Tease's wrist and leading her outside. Even after they had left, people still stared.

"Well, what the hell do you want!" Mello snapped at them. They all instantly went back to their food and previous conversations. I got up, fixed the fallen chair, and paid for our meals. I smiled apologetically to Mello as we left the building. Tease could still be heard yelling in dismay. I sighed as we approached them. Matt had given up on trying to fit a word in and was now leaning against his car, smoking away. She got quiet. She crossed her arms and began tapping her foot impatiently.

"You ready to look like an ass?" Mello smirked at her.

"What do you mean?" Her voice had slightly lightened to curiosity.

"You got all hateful because you don't want to live with me and the others. But here's the thing…" He bent down to her face. "I had never agreed to it, anyway."

Her shoulders dropped, and her arms fell to her sides. Matt began snickering and I let out a few giggles myself. She got mad at us laughing, got in the back seat of Matt's car, and pouted. Matt and Mello pushed me in the car shortly after. I huffed, pulling my phone out. Until they decided to tell us what they were talking about, Tease and I just had to sit there like good kids and wait. We sat alone for probably ten minutes when Matt finally opened the driver's door and climbed in. He locked the doors and had begun driving before telling us we were moving out of the apartments. I looked over at Tease, expecting her to throw another fit. Instead, she groaned and banged her head against the window. I grinned at her actions and looked behind us to see Mello following.

"Why is Mello following us?" I thought aloud.

"He's going to make sure we get everything we need. He also has to lead us back to where ever he's living right now."

"Oh right…say, Big Brother?" I leaned up against his seat.

"Yeah?"

"You will stay close to me and Tease for the first while we're there, right?"

"Uh…I guess. Why?"

"Those guys seemed kinda creepy and Mello pulled me along faster whenever we got near them. It was like he didn't want me near them at all. He probably feels the same way about Tease being around them."

"Like he'd care about me. Besides, I can take care of myself!" Tease sounded proud.

We both ignored her comment as we pulled into the parking lot. Matt told us to go on up and start packing while he went in search of our Land Lord. Mello helped me out of the car, then patiently followed us in our little apartment.

It wasn't much of a living space, but it worked for us. The kitchen was attached to the living room, only to be separated by the change of carpet to tiles. The bathroom was small, and slightly dirty. We tried cleaning it the best we could, but some stains just wouldn't come out. The bedroom was actually of decent size, though. The only issue there was, was that only two people could live in it. Many times Matt would sleep on the couch so Tease and I could be comfortable. Other times, one of us would be nice and let him take our bed for a few days. Most people wouldn't even like thinking about living the way we did, but it really did work for us. Mello glanced around, almost in disbelief. I bumped my hip to his as I walked past him.

"What are you gawking at?"

"You three actually live together in this small place?"

"Yeah. Why? Is there something wrong with it?" I went to Matt's game systems and began unplugging them.

"No, I guess not. I just didn't think you three could stand each other in these conditions."

"Yeah, it is kind of shocking. With the way Matt and I treat each other, one would never suspect us of living together peacefully. Amazingly enough, it worked, though." I picked up his Super Nintendo system while Mello grabbed his PlayStation, placing them both gently in a box.

"What about him and Tease? They seemed…friendlier."

"Oh, that. Well, shortly after you left, Near had left. It was just the three of us left, and I had become kind of distant of people, so they only had each other most of the time. You can see their feelings blooming for each. It's rather cute at times."

"What is?" Tease asked, dropping her stuff in the floor, obviously ready.

"Mice. They're really cute." I gave a genuine smile as Matt flew in the door, declaring we should hurry up like an old British man. We followed his weird sounding order and sped up our packing. We threw everything in the trunk when we were finished, and took off in the car behind Mello. Upon arrival, Mello told us to stay in the car until he returned. We sat for around ten minutes, during which time Matt and Tease would unintentionally flirt. I was very grateful when Mello appeared at the window and told us to come in. We grabbed our smallest bags to begin with and followed him in. He insisted that the girls walk between the guys. We both ended up a little thankful for it. What little guys that were in the main area eyed us down. Had Matt and Mello not been there, who would've known what would've happened? Just the thought sent shivers up my spine. Mello opened a door just down the hall from his own bedroom.

"How awkward would it be if you stayed with Tease, Matt?" Mello sounded like he didn't even care about the answer.

"I'm cool with it." He set his bag on the ground next to the king sized bed.

"I…guess I could force myself to stay with him." Tease mumbled. I saw her lightly eye him over before jumping on the big bed.

"Oh, wait…um, where will I be staying?"

"With me. It's not smart to leave either of you girls alone, and if I stay with Tease, one of us will end up dead."

"He has a point. I already annoy the shit out of him. If we had to share a room…heh-heh, well, I don't think you want to think about it." Tease laid on her back to stare at the ceiling.

"Well, Bro, what do you say?"

"Go for it. I know neither of you are stupid enough to do anything. At least I hope you're not." He pulled a PSP out of his pocket and began plaing some random game, instantly ignoring us. With a scoff Mello led me to his- _our_ -room. As I set my bag down I felt the cool touch of leather against my shoulder. I gazed up into his electric blue eyes. There was a spark of recgonition.

"Yes?"

"You said last night you missed me."

"Oh…yeah, I did."

"Have you, really?"

"Have I really missed you? Yes. I missed you a _lot_, actually…"

"Oh." His hand remained on my shoulder. "…I…kinda…really missed you, too."

I felt my lips curl in a smile. "I'm glad to hear that."

"We should get your stuff moved in now. I'm sure it's not good for some of that stuff to stay out in the cold for too long."

"Yeah…" I followed him closely until we got outside. He helped us get everything we had inside. Hours passed until the sun finally went down. We all spent most of the day catching up after we had been settled in. There were laughs and there were old secrets. It felt like we were really back to being the seemingly invicible group we once were.

We sat in the main room after the other guys had gone off to bed. It was late, so we all had already changed into our pajamas. We had sprawled ourselves out on the leather couch. Mello sat on the top of it. I sat on the seat next to him. Tease was laying down just on the other side of me. Matt had claimed the floor at Tease's stomach, leaning against the table to face us.

"Wait, so you mean to say you don't remember the tragic event of me taking your precious game system?" I asked Matt as he continued playing his game.

"Nope. Doesn't ring a bell."

"You're lying. You said it had scarred you for life!"

"I guess I was lying about that."

"Alright, alright. Enough. I've been wanting to ask you two something ALL day long!" Tease cut in, suddenly sitting up and staring at Mello and me.

"I'm afraid to find out what you've been wanting to know…" I mumbled.

"So, what did you guys expect to happen after that kiss at Wammy's?"

Silence fell. Matt paused his game, becoming interested. Mello stopped chewing his chocolate. I could feel my face get warm. She continued to look at us. I finally spoke.

"I…don't know. I thought that…"

"It was just a childhood crush." Mello spoke as quietly as me.

"But it was only a little over a year ago when you left. You can't honestly say that-"

"Shut up, Tease. You don't know anything about it, alright?"

I stood up after a few minutes of awkward silence. "I'm tired. I think I should go to bed now. Goodnight, T. Goodnight, Brother." I barely looked at Mello. "Goodnight, Mello."

"…I'm going, too." He threw his wrapper at Tease as we went to the bedroom. We both laid down, keeping a good distance from each other. We stayed that way in the dark for at least forty-five minutes. I finally sighed and rolled over to face Mello. I saw his form move to look at me.

"You awake?" I whispered.

"Yeah."

"Why can't you sleep?"

"Thinking too much."

"Oh."

"What about you?"

"Same…" I sat up a little bit.

"Is it about the day I left?"

"…Yeah.

"What…what _did _we expect to happen afterward?" I felt him sit up and move closer to me.

"I don't know. I was just going on a rush of my emotions, I think…"

"You know…" His voice had changed. I couldn't figure out what it had changed to, but whatever it was, it made me nervous. "It's not very smart to just follow a rush of emotions."

"Y-yeah…" I could almost feel him smirk as he backed away some and laid back down. "You know, it's kinda cold in here."

"I know. I always freeze at night. That's another reason why I wanted you in here. It would be weird if I had Matt do this." With that, he pulled me down, my head landing softly on his chest. I felt my cheeks light up again as I felt the cotton underneath my head and hand. His arm found it's way around my shoulders to keep me in place.

"Think we'll be warm like this?"

"I would hope so…otherwise, this would seem almost pointless." I snuggled my head a little closer to him as I replied.

"Huh. Yeah, I guess. Goodnight, Envy." I felt his lips on the top of my head.

"Goodnight, Mello."


	4. Memories and Discoveries

Chapter Four:  
>Memories and Discoveries.<p>I jerked awake when I felt something crawling up my arm. I instantly started brushing at it frantically. Behind me, I heard a chuckle. I looked back at an amused Mello as he laid back with an arm resting under his head.<p>

Why are you laughing? I breathed.

Because you just jerked awake without warning and began freaking out.

I would ve sworn something was crawling up my arm. That s the only reason why I freaked out My cheeks began warming up some.

He chuckled some more. That was me. This feel familiar? He lightly traced his fingers up and down my left arm, giving me goose bumps. His bare fingers were unusually warm compared to my own skin.

Why were you doing that? I brushed his fingers away, blushing a little more.

I was bored. I had been awake for fifteen minutes with nothing to do. That at least slightly helped me with my physical boredom while I laid in thought. He sat up against the headboard.

Why didn t you just get up?

You were still asleep and using me as a pillow. I thought I should actually be nice to you this once.

I turned myself to where I was facing him, sitting on my knees. You thought? This once? So, does that mean you aren t naturally nice to me anymore?

Yes. Wait, what? No, that s not what I-

Are you blushing? Mello, are you embarrassed? How cute!

I don t blush! He turned his head away from me.

But you are! Lemme see! Come on, Mello. Please? I grabbed the sides of his face while giggling and trying to talk him into looking at me, but he pushed my hands away and kept his face out of view. I tried looking around to see his face again. He pushed my face away with his hands. I attempted to grab his hands, earning my wrists being captured. After playfully struggling a little more, we both stopped when our foreheads connected and rested on the other s. We sat there for a moment, only looking at each other. I saw an emotion flicker in his amazingly electric blue eyes before it vanished and turned to confusion. His annoyed expression had softened. My smile faded to almost nothing. He slowly freed my wrists, allowing me to back away from him at a slow pace.

I, um, I m sorry. I shouldn t have tried-

It s fine. He got up, ditching his shirt as he went to the dresser. I sat in the bed, feeling slightly odd about the feelings I had just experienced looking in his eyes. Something deep, deep in the back of mind said that my little childhood crush on him hadn t vanished like I thought. I brushed it off, though, promising myself that it was a lie.

Hey, when are you guys getting up! Tease slammed opened the door, instantly smirking when she caught sight of us. Hey, why do you two look so weird? You look like you ve done something you re ashamed of.

Would you get out? Mello shouted furiously.

No! I m bored! Tease jumped on the bed next to me, landing on her stomach.

Could you at least put some pants on? You re showing off some of your tanned ass. I smacked her butt with a chuckle.

Oh, hit me again. I like it oh so much. She pretended to plead. I smacked her again, both of us laughing incredibly hard.

You both disgust me. Mello mumbled as he got his clothes out for the day.

Don t pretend you don t want a piece of this, blondie. Tease joked, pointing at herself when she sat up. He rolled his eyes at her and stormed to the bathroom.

Man, you really do piss him off I noted. It was my turn to change. I went to the dresser, pulled out one of Matt s shirts I often borrowed, a plain black bra, and gray skinny jeans. Not caring she was in the room, I began changing.

Are you try to seduce me, dear Emily? I heard from behind.

No, but if I was, would it be working, dear Taylor?

You know it, sexy.

I chuckled as I shook my head at our stupidity. I checked out how my outfit looked. Matt s shirt fit amazingly well in the torso, but my shoulders were much smaller than his, making the sleeves fall off of them some. I smiled, pulled my make-up bag out, and began painting my face. Just as I finished my eyeliner, Mello came back in.

Out. He grabbed Tease s nightgown and led her to the door.

Ooh, you gonna try something with your best friend s sister or something?

Shut up. He shut the door in her face and locked it.

Okay, that s kinda scary. You re not really going to try something, are you? I winked at him playfully as I applied my mascara.

No. I m just irritated about something. He sat on the edge of the bed.

Oh. Do you want to talk about it? I leaned against the dresser as I looked at him. He didn t even look up at me.

No.

O-okay. Well, if you ever need or want to talk about something that s stressing you out, I m always here for you. Just so you know. I smiled a little before heading toward the door. I placed my hand on the metal door knob when his voice rang through my ears again.

I ll be leaving at five this afternoon. I m not sure when I ll be back.

Where will you be going?

It s none of your concern.

Oh. Should I wait up for you if you come back late?

No.

Oh. Alright then. I sighed lightly as I unlocked the door, and went out to meet up with the others. Matt sat on the couch, his nose practically pressing against the screen of his DS. I threw myself down next to him, watching him play Super Mario. A few minutes of silence went by as two other guys came in the room with us. I finally snapped, my thoughts overriding me and driving me insane.

Okay, Matt, I have to ask you something.

Yeah, what? He didn t take his eyes off the illuminated screen. I pursed my lips, taking the device out of his hands. To spare him any more irritation, I paused it for him.

What is it that Mello is going to do at five that could keep him out so late?

I have no clue. Nothing has been said to me.

One of the guys laughed a little. We snapped our head over at him and the other guy. I cleared my throat loudly, letting him know I heard his chuckle. He glanced up at me from the cards he was holding, smirking in amusement.

Your little boyfriend really didn t tell you anything?

He s not my boyfriend. And no. When I asked where he was going he said it was none of my concern and refused to talk about it. Do you know what he s up to?

Of course I do. It seems you two and that other chick, Tease, I think, are the only ones who are clueless.

Well, will you tell me? I m kind of worrying about him over here.

All I can tell you is that Rod favors him when it comes to this kind of job.

After the way he got in, I d favor him, too. The other guy added as he scanned his hand of cards.

Fine, whatever. Will you at least tell me how he got in, then? I crossed my arms under my chest.

Once his highness leaves. If he hears us talkin about it, we might as well be diggin our own graves. The first guy said. The other guy nodded his head in agreement. I huffed, blowing my hair out of my face. I tossed Matt s game in his lap as I got up again.

It s so irritating being clueless all the damn time! I groaned as loud as I could as I left the building. Checking my surroundings, I rounded the corner of the old building. I leaned against the wall as I pulled out a picture from my pocket.

Man this seems like it was forever ago I smiled lightly as I gazed down at it. Tease was standing next to Mello, giving him bunny ears. Mello stood there, clueless to her actions, a prideful smile lighting up his features. Near stood in front of me, his pure white hair being twirled between his fingers. A somewhat bored expression was drawn on his face. I stood next to Matt, arms resting behind my head lazily. Matt clutched a video game in his preteen hands, forcing his attention away from it long enough for the picture to be taken. In the center of it all was none other than L. A half smile lingered on his thin, pale lips. His right arm was draped over Mello s fragile looking shoulders. I allowed another burdened sigh to escape before placing the picture back in my pocket.

Oh, L why? Why is all of this happening? Why did Kira appear? Why did you have to challenge him? Why, oh, why did you have to die? I slid down the freezing cement wall and clutched my knees to my chest. Your death brought misery to all. Not just by you no longer walking with us, but it gave Mello another reason to fight with Near. Everything that has happened from the moment you died has been nothing but misery. I m sure there is no set happiness in the near future

I clutched the golden cross that hung around my neck. I hung my head down as memories of L s visits to Wammy s flooded my mind. I shut my eyes, allowing myself to become lost in the good days of my childhood. The times when Mello would only bicker with Near. The times Kira was just a small threat rather than a full blown enemy to us. The times when Alternative was with us. The times when Beyond Birthday was with us. Beyond Birthday the first man to ever take Tease s heart hostage. I wonder, where did he go? Heaven? Hell? Or neither? I once heard him talking about those gods of death and a power he shared with them. What the hell were they called? Shinigamis, I think. What power could he possibly have shared with those creatures of darkness? An inhuman way to kill, just as Kira does? Perhaps something different? I wonder

En? What the hell are you doing out here in the rain?

Huh? I blinked furiously. Looking around I realized the lighting in the sky had darkened and rain was falling down from above. I stood up, staring at my horribly drenched outfit. I wiped my finger under my eye to see that my make had begun running down my face.

Envy!

I snapped my head in Mello s direction. He was standing under an umbrella, dressed as though he was readying himself to leave when he found me. He held his hand out to me. I took it, walking under the umbrella with him. Though his voice was full of irritation when he spoke, his face read that of one who was concerned.

What are you doing out here in the rain?

I came out earlier to think some, and I guess I got to carried away in my thoughts. I m sorry.

It s ok. Just be more aware of your surroundings. You ll be lucky if you don t get sick soon. He tightly put an arm around my soaked shoulders as we walked back inside. He tossed the open umbrella down to the ground as we walked passed those who were in the main area.

Whoa, you look horrible, Sis!

Because that s what a girl always wants to hear from someone. Shut up, Matt. I stuck my tongue out at him as we continued walking to our room.

Mello opened the door for me. I smiled politely as I walked past him. He remained in the doorframe as I opened the drawers for dry, clean clothes. I glanced back at him through my thick hair to see he was watching me. I blushed lightly, wondering what he could be staring at. I stood up straight after finding a black tank top and pink and black plaid lounge pants to change in to. We locked eyes. He looked very bothered by something. He was trying to hide his inner confliction, but the way his eyes shimmered and brows furrowed every now and again gave him away.

Mello, what s wrong?

I have to leave in a minute.

I dropped the clothes on the bed as I walked to him. You don t want to do whatever this is, do you?

No. I don t. He moved to shut the door quietly. When I reached him, he hugged me tightly. I didn t know why, but I hugged him back anyway. I felt him pet my head, then play with my dripping hair as I stood in his arms, and him in mine. Suddenly, he pushed some hair away from my ear and whispered to me.

I ll explain everything when I get back. I promise I will. I just hope you don t see me any differently then you did before. As abruptly as he hugged me, he let go and began walking off. I quickly grabbed his hand, pulling him back to me. I laid my free hand on his chest when he turned around.

I don t know what you re doing, or where you re even going, but, please, be careful. I don t want you to come back injured, alright?

No promises. He avoided my gaze. I reached up, gingerly placing my fingertips on his cheek. He guided his eyes to mine.

At least try, then? Either way, I ll be here waiting for you, Mel.

Mel? You haven t called me that in years. He leaned down, brushing his lips against my forehead. I ll be back tonight. If you re still awake, I ll tell you everything. Goodbye, En. He turned on his heel to leave. Our fingers that had laced together refused to break apart. Once he got far enough, though, they broke. Mello glanced back at me before shutting the door once more, the smallest hint of a smile playing on his lips. Then, I was left alone in the bedroom. I placed a hand over my heart, praying silently to God that Mello would be kept safe on what ever mission he was going on.

After changing, I remained in the bedroom. I found my iPod buried under some scattered papers and decided to listen to some music while I doodled random drawings. I had half a paper filled with epic drawings of band names, rainbows, sayings, and music notes, when I saw Tease enter the room with a tray of food. I sat up, pulled an ear bud out, and chuckled lightly.

Playing room service now?

No, I just felt like being nice. And I was pretty sure Matt was going to take your dinner if I came and I got you instead of just bringing it. She sat the tray by my side.

Oh. Well, how sweet of my other half. I picked up the loose meat sandwich, wondering who made it and how quickly they made it. Risking getting sick later in the night, I took a bite.

Well, since you seem like you re going to stay hoarded up in here all night, if you need anything, just text my cell. I ll bring you whatever you want. She smiled, getting up to leave.

Tease, wait. Can we talk about something that will probably end up being a touchy subject?

Huh? I guess so. What s wrong? She sat back down. I pushed the tray away from us, grabbed a pillow, and began the conversation.

Beyond Birthday I heard you two talking once about a power he had. A power that only Shinigamis could possess. What was he talking about?

She glanced at the ground, her hair falling and covering her eyes. That power he said it would frighten most to all people, but I found it really cool and rather interesting. She tucked her hair behind her ear. Her eyes glazed over as she recalled the conversation she had with him.

Why would it have frightened people, Tease?

The power he had resided in his eyes. His eyes those ruby orbs that hinted at mental instability She smiled lightly, only to fade back to her straight face when she resumed speaking. He had the exact same eyes of a Shinigami. That meant when he looked at you, floating just above your head, he could see your true name and how much time you had left until you died.

W what? How do you know he wasn t lying to you? I mean, I doubt he ever lied to you, but

He told me your name, Emily. Your whole name.

Didn t you know it, though?

I only knew your first name at the time that he told me. The next day I asked what your last name was.

So that s why you acted all weird after I told you.

Mm.

Where do you think he ended up, then?

Her expression grew dark. What do you mean?

Sharing the eyes of the gods of death must ve put him in a tough position for the after life. Killing those people probably made it worse

He only chose those who were going to die soon anyway. If anything, he did them a fucking favor. She spoke loudly and harshly.

I wasn t trying to offend you, Tease I m sorry for even bringing this up. I got up and began walking around the room.

If you weren t trying to offend me, don t bring it up. You knew how I felt for him, how I still feel about him, but you did it anyway. She stalked out of the room, slamming my door shut. A second later I heard the echo of her door slamming shut as well. I flew backward on my bed with a huff. I felt horrible for pissing her off. She was probably crying in her room now because of me. Damn it all. I looked at the clock on the night stand.

12:01... I sat up. Mello where are you? Please, be alright I don t know what we would do if something happened to you.

Well, luckily nothing happened this time, so there s no need to worry yet.

I snapped my head over to him as he tossed his jacket down by the door and shut it. Becoming over-joyed to see he was alright, I jumped off the bed and hugged him. My arms flew around his neck and my head buried into his chest.

Welcome back. I m so glad you re okay! I had a lot of bad thoughts run through my head while I listened to music next time, I m making Matt talk to me so I don t worry myself again.

He pet my head as one of his arms slid around my waist to return the hug. You don t need to worry about me. I can take of myself. Prying me off of him, he ditched his vest and shoes. I crawled on the bed and watched him as he went through the dresser.

Are you going to tell me now? I m wide awake, and you are, too, so you can t tell me to go to sleep or say that you re too tired. It s unavoidable right now.

Unless I have no clue what you re talking about. He didn t even look up.

You re a liar. I sat up, hugging his pillow to my chest.

Excuse me? He straightened up.

You promised you would tell me what you were doing tonight. You said you would explain everything. I know you haven t forgotten that yet. Mello, I want to know. Please?

He sighed loudly. He sat on the edge of the bed, resting his arms on his knees. I don t know how to explain it without freaking you out.

Just tell me. I already promised I wouldn t see you any differently.

Alright, alright. He ran a hand through his hair. I got in the mafia by doing something the others couldn t. I was able to locate a target they couldn t track and do the deed they deemed impossible for me. The deal was that if I brought Rod the head of that guy, I could be one of them. I was able to carry it out. I found the guy, cut his head off, and dropped the bag in front of Rod when I returned. Ever since then, I ve been the number one assassin for him. If I don t do it, they ll kick me out

I watched him for a minute. He was visibly shaking. I moved the pillow away, scooted over to him, and grabbed his hand. His hair continued to cover his eyes as he glanced at my hand upon his.

I never wanted to do it. I m killing people that have friends that love them. People that even have families. I just fuck, I don t know. This is the only path that I have, but I hate doing the things that I do.

I m sorry, Mello. I m so sorry that you have to do that. It s horrible that Rod makes you do such a monstrous crime, but you have to do it. I laid my head on his shoulder. I understand.

You can t possibly still treat me the same.

I can. And I will. You re my best friend, Mel. Nothing can change that. Nothing at all. I squeezed his hand lightly when he turned his hand around to hold mine. He lifted my head off his shoulder, going to the dresser. He began changing into lounge pants, not even caring I was in the room. I laid back against the pillows, looking at the ceiling. I rolled on my side when I felt the bed dip down on his side. For the first time, I saw the bags under his eyes. I felt guilt run through me. I wasn t sure why, but I did. When he noticed I was staring, he offered a small smile. I smiled back, pushing his bangs apart. I leaned up, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead. I leaned down to his ear.

Goodnight, Mel. I ll see you in the morning. I looked back at him, to see his reaction, but he was already asleep. I smiled at his peaceful face before laying down and trying to rest myself.

~/ AUTHOR S NOTE. \~

Whoa! This was a super long chapter. I didn t really realize how long it was when writing it I m sorry if you don t like long chapters! :P I m also sorry I didn t update this. I get writer s block very easily a lot. It may be awhile before Chapter Five comes out because of that. My deepest apologies! Please, keep reading and check for updates on this story often! I ask for reviews, too, please. They help inspire me to write more!~ :D 


	5. Start of Something New?

Chapter Five:

Start of Something New?

Tease's Point of View.

I sat in the floor, staring at the calendar blankly as I hugged tightly onto my Hello Kitty plushie pillow. I swallowed hard as I fought back tears. Much had happened up to this date. Not only did we reunite with Mello, but we learned about the Death Note, the book that could kill as long the user of it had the correct name and the person's face in mind when writing the name down. Mello had conducted a plan Envy remains clueless to in order to get a hold of one of the notebooks. That plan was to be put in motion next week. I sighed. I was glad it wasn't this week. Or this day, to be more specific. I'll be honest. On this day, I am useless. I swallowed hard again at my own thoughts, trying to avoid thinking about what he would say to me right now. My eyes didn't even flicker to the door when I heard it creak open.

"You know that's not what I meant, Mello…" Envy mumbled to my left.

"What the fuck ever." He hastily threw his jacket above me on the couch, stepping over my legs to go to the kitchen. I saw his head incline down toward me. "What the hell is wrong with you? You look more depressing than usual."

I remained silent. I could already feel the strain in my vocal cords, and if I spoke even one word, I'd break.

"Hey, seriously. If you're gonna be an emo bitch and ignore me, then go on to your room and sulk in private!"

"Mello!" Envy barked at his unusually harsh tone and words. I numbly stood up, and began walking to my room. I allowed my, for once curled, hair to fall in my face, covering my eyes. Some of the mafia men questioned me as I walked by. I just pushed them out of my way, picking up speed each time until I reached my destination. I slammed the door shut, locked it, leaned against it, and slid down to the floor. I gripped my plushie pillow even tighter as a tear escaped. I heard Mello and Envy fighting in their room.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Mello? You don't say that kind of stuff to a girl!"

"I don't care! _You've_ pissed me off enough today and her damn moping about for no good fucking reason pushed me over the edge!"

"Oh, my God! Really? Honestly? You're so…so…_ridiculous_!"

I threw my plushie down as I launched myself onto the queen sized bed. I buried my face in a pillow, not wanting anyone to see me in case they did happen to get through the locked door.

"Why? Why did it happen…?" I mumbled. I shut my eyes to play the scenes in my mind for probably the hundredth time…

_I was sitting by myself outside, waiting for BB to arrive. He had slipped a note under my door last night saying to meet him at 1:03 by the old tree house. I hummed quietly, growing impatient. I didn't know why he wanted me to meet him. He didn't explain anything in the note and I couldn't find him in the house to ask him. _

"_You came."_

_I looked up excitedly as BB entered the woods. He was holding a small chocolate cupcake coated in red icing. On top of it was a single black and white dotted candle, already lit. _

"_Huh? BB, why do you have a cupcake?"_

"_It's a secret." He kneeled next to me._

"_But you tell me everything…don't you?" I gave him my usual puppy-dog eyed look which seemed to always work with him. He sighed, smiling slightly. _

"_I tell you _almost _everything."_

"_Why can't you tell me why you have a cupcake? It can't be that big of a secret, can it?" _

"…_If I tell you, Tease, you have to swear to never tell a single soul what you're about to hear. I will only allow you to tell those you trust with your whole heart. I'm going to hope you don't trust many people that easily under these circumstances now." He chuckled lightly._

_I beamed up at him. "Of course, B! I swear I'll never tell the untrustable people! Never!"_

_He peeked over both his shoulders, making sure no one followed him or something. He pulled me closer and whispered in my ear, "This happens to be my birthday."_

"_Birthday? Really?" He nodded. "Why keep it a secret?"_

"_Why ask so many questions?" _

"_I…oh…" I slumped against the tree as he returned my question with one of his own. He pet my head and handed me the cupcake._

"_I keep it a secret for safety reasons. That's all you really need to know." _

_I looked down at the cupcake in wonder. He placed a hand on my shoulder, and blew the lone candle out. I looked up into the blood red colored orbs he calls eyes, smiling lightly at the warmth they held for me, and only me. _

"Tease? Tease, could you please open the door? I need the stupid charger for my PSP." Matt banged on the door slightly as he spoke.

"Go away! I'm not in the mood to deal with you…"

Silence followed. For a moment, I thought he had walked away, but a knock came to the door once again.

"Please? I'll be in and out in a flash."

With much hesitation, I forced myself up and opened the door for the video game addicted brunette. I kept my face away from him as he entered. I returned to my spot on the bed, curling up in a ball. I heard him shuffle some things around behind me. When I thought he had reached the door, I let an almost silent sob out. I heard him stop moving.

"Are you crying?"

Shit. "No. I'm not crying."

"I think you're lying." I felt the bed shift on the opposite side. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Alright. I'll leave you alone, then." I felt him move over to the edge of the bed and start to get up.

"It's just…" I sighed. "I'm thinking about BB…"

"Oh. What made you start thinking about him?"

"…I can't tell you. He told me to only tell people I trust with my whole heart."

He didn't speak. I heard his PSP get set down. I rolled over slightly, to look at him. He looked like he was contemplating something serious. I sat up all the way when he removed his goggles from his face. He looked me in the eye, hesitating to speak. His mouth finally shut all the way, but he didn't break eye contact.

"My name is Mail." He suddenly said. "My true name is Mail Jeevas. My favorite color is not red, like I've said multiple times. It's navy blue. My dream is to do something so big that the whole world benefits from it. And my biggest fear is something attacking me if I go too deep in ocean waters."

I looked at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. I opened my mouth, trying to say something, but nothing came out. He glanced at his goggles again before turning his body all the way to me.

"I just thought you should know all that. No one else knows any of that, other than Envy. I've trusted you for a long time, but I just never told you the truth. Sorry." He smiled lightly at me before getting up and walking to the door. Just as his hand reached for the doorknob, I found my voice.

"Taylor. M-my name is Taylor." I looked at the hem of my shirt, speaking quietly. "Today was his real birthday. He told me a few years before we left Wammy's House."

He turned to look at me. "Seriously? He told you his birth date?"

"Yeah…he did. We told each other everything. We had no secrets."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything that happened after you left."

The tears came streaming out again. I couldn't stop them. I rubbed at my eyes to try and stop the burning sensation from the salty tears. Before I realized what was happening, Matt's arms were holding me close to him, and my arms wrapped around his neck. I buried my head in his shoulder.

"It's not fair…why was he taken from me?" I mumbled.

"I don't know. I'm sorry, Tease. I really am…" He tightened his grip. "If it even matters, I'll never leave you."

I pulled back some. I looked into his emerald eyes that were filled with sincerity. I bit my lip nervously as his words sunk in.

He gave a small half smile. "I promise you that I won't ever leave you."

I blinked a few times, feeling my lips twitch into a smile. I leaned up slowly, kissing his cheek then hugging him tightly again. I tilted my head toward his ear, whispering, "Thank you. That means a lot to me…Mail."

"It's not a problem…Taylor." I could almost _hear_ the half smirk, half smile on his face. I smiled to myself. I closed my eyes and laid my head on his shoulder as he rubbed my back in comfort. I felt the drowsiness begin to take over. He must've noticed the change in breathing pattern, for he began playing with my hair, knowing that always made me sleepy.

"Do you want to sleep?"

"Mhm. I do."

He shifted, laying me down against the pillows. "I'll leave you alone, then. Thanks for letting me in." He smiled lightly as he held up the charger cord. I smiled at his play of words. He had already stood up when my arm moved on it's own. I reached out and grabbed his fingers. He glanced down at me.

"Will you stay with me?"

He set the charger down, placed his goggles back on his head, and laid down next to me with a content smile. I eagerly moved closer to him. I placed my head on his chest and an arm around his stomach. One arm wrapped protectively around my shoulders, while his other hand lightly traced lines up and down my arm. I smiled at his touch, only to have a horrifying thought hit me: What if BB doesn't want this? What if I'm hurting BB right now by being so comfortable with Matt like this?

_It's fine, Taylor. I'm not angry with you. _A voice stuck out in my mind. It sounded just like BB. Could he actually be speaking to me? Or is it just my mind playing tricks on me again? _Heh-heh, you've always been so cute when in doubt. I am not your mind. I am BB._ _You deserve to be happy. I want you to fall in love with a man like him. A man that promises he will never leave you. I wasn't the right man for you. I was too involved with beating L. I never promised that I wouldn't leave you. I am sorry. I love you. I know you love me, but you must begin to move on. _

I tightened my grip on Matt as the words sunk in. A single tear fell. I didn't want to move on. I didn't think I could. I could never do that! I would be betraying BB, even if he gave me permission to move on…

_I want you to move on from me. _

I began my crying fit all over again. My heart felt like it just ripped in half and was being torn into little bits. I buried my head into Matt as much as I could, gripping his shirt so tightly that my knuckles turned white. His arms held me to him tightly. He pulled me up higher on him. I felt his head rest on mine, and a hand petting my hair to try and calm me.

"It's alright, Tease, I'm here. I'm here. Everything is okay. I'm here with you. I'm here." His voice sounded as though we were in a tunnel. It echoed through my ears. I rested my head in the crook of his neck, trying to catch my breath. Maybe, just maybe, he could help rebuild my heart. Just before sleep finally took me, I apologized to BB.

"_I'll move on, BB, but only because you want me to. I love you, Beyond Birthday. I'm sorry." _

~/AUTHOR'S NOTE.\\~

Alright, first off, I have to apologize to everyone. FanFiction hates me or something because it LOVES to screw around with my stories. After uploading the last chapter, I noticed it took out all the quotations I had put in it. I don't know why, but something always happens to my stories. If it continues to screw up and won't allow me to fix, I'll have to take it up with the head of FF, or something. Secondly, about this chapter, I thought after the way Tease kind of went off on Envy about BB, you should have a little more insight on the way she felt about him, (and some possible foreshadowing ;D) so I decided to dedicate a chapter to her! :D I've also decided that Matt and Mello shouldn't be left out, so in the future I'll have chapters written in their point of views as well! Please review with your thoughts! It is greatly appreciated!


	6. Fear Turned to Confusion

Chapter Six:

Fear Turned to Confusion

Ever since Mello told me about the job that he would frequently do for Rod, he's acted strangely. I promised him I wouldn't see him any differently, and I kept that promise. I didn't see him differently at all. In my world, he was still my absolute best friend, and nothing could change that. He must not believe me or something, because it seems we've done nothing but fight since that night. Every little thing I do pisses him off. Frankly, it's beyond irritating.

I sat in the main area with Matt as we did some research for Mello. Tease was in the corner, sorting some papers Matt had printed out earlier. I groaned, rubbing at my eyes. The bright screen was beginning to hurt them. I blinked furiously a few times before returning my focus on the site I pulled up. I was looking up any possible criminals that Kira might kill, while Matt did research on the police force. Why am I looking up random criminals? I don't know. I don't care, either. Mello said to do it, so I just did it. I reached up to rub my eyes again.

"Wearing goggles helps that, you know."

"How, Matt?"

"They dim the screen a little."

"Is that how you can play video games right after doing shit like this?"

"This isn't shit. It's important in our mission."

We all turned to see Mello stride in, a chocolate bar clutched in one hand, a gun in the other, and two men flaking either side of him.

"My bad." I say quietly. "I just don't see the point in this right now."

"The point is so we can be one step ahead of him."

"Him? Who is him? Kira?" I locked eyes with him. "Or Near again?"

He growled, snapping a bite of chocolate off in his mouth. I rolled my eyes, turning my attention back to the laptop screen. Biting my lip in thought, I turned to Matt. He seemed focused enough on his laptop…

"Can I borrow these? Thanks!" I spoke and moved so quickly, I had the goggles around my head before my brother could even register what happened. I smirked up at him when he just sighed and shook his head, fixing the mess he calls hair.

"You're so annoying sometimes."

"You can say that again." Mello mumbled as he passed us.

"Excuse me?" I stood up from my spot in the floor, bracing myself for another fight.

"Sis, sit down. He's just being Mello."

"But he's been after me these past two weeks. It's so agitating!" I glared at Mello, who has stopped walking by this point. I hoped with all my heart he could feel my eyes burning in the back of his head. He shifted just enough to look at Matt.

"Come with me, Matt. It's time."

Without a word, Matt stood as well. He began walking toward Mello, taking his goggles back in the process. I clenched my hands into fists, feeling betrayed by my own brother.

"Traitor…" I spat as I flopped back on the couch. I tucked my long hair behind my ear before turning to Tease. "What are they even doing, anyway? What the hell did he mean by 'it's time'?" I rolled my eyes. Tease stopped and looked at me. The look she gave me change all of my emotions at once. I went from annoyed and pissed off to worried and concerned.

"Do you not know what the plans are yet?"

"Plans? What…plans are you talking about?"

She stood up, gliding over next to me on the leather couch. She laid her hands in her lap, folding them together politely, yet nervously. "There was this talk a few weeks ago, about how to get hold of one of the notebooks, and…"

"And? And what, Tease?"

Her hazel eyes bore into mine. The specks of orange around her pupil seemed to dance with anxious anticipation for my reaction to her words. "It was decided that a trade should be in place. The notebook for, um…Saiyu Yagami…"

"Saiyu Yagami…Yagami…no. No! The daughter of the chief of the police force?"

She nodded. I punched the couch in rage. "Who does he think he is? Taking an innocent girl, probably scarring her for life, just for a damn noteook?" I stood up. "They're in the survallince room, aren't they?" I glanced down as she nodded again, obviously bothered at my reaction. Something else hid under her expression. Joy, maybe? I shook my head, deciding to think about it later. I stalked toward the room of monitors. I cracked the door open, silently thanking God that it wasn't one of the doors that squeaked in this place. I instantly began searching the screens. My eyes finally locked in on her. Saiyu Yagami. She was being shoved roughly into a room, a gag in her mouth for the time being. I watched silently until I knew the room she was being held in. I smirked to myself, knowing exactly what I was going to do. I shut the door back, rushing to the kitchen. Tease followed.

"What are you doing?"

"That poor girl looks frightened enough to clam up and speak to no one here. I'm not going to let that happen. She needs to know there is at least one decent human in this building." I opened the fridge, grabbing a bottled water. I switched to the counter, grabbing a small bag of potato chips.

"Mello won't be too pleased when he sees you walk into frame on that monitor…" She reminded in a sing song tone.

"I don't care. I have a heart, unlike him." I turned to her. "So, is Saiyu going to have one friend, or two?"

I saw her shoulders rise as her mouth opened. It looked as though she was about to scold me for such reckless behavior. Instead, her shoulders dropped and she smiled. "I'm proud of you. I'll distract Mello long enough for you to get down there." She winked, skipping off toward the room.

"I'm so done for when he knows what I've done." I muttered to myself, making my way down the multiple corridors. I finally came to a wide, metal door. I sighed, thinking about how scared the girl must be. I gently knocked twice, thankful they didn't have sound on the video feed yet. I slowly opened the door, peeking in the poorly lit cave of a room.

"Are you Saiyu?" I asked, shutting the door behind me. I glanced up at her. She was pressed against the wall, breathing raggedly. She nodded her head slowly.

"W-what do you want from me?"

"Please, don't be afraid of me. I swear I'm not going to hurt you. I thought you might be thirsty or maybe a little hungry." I pulled the water and chips out of the large front pocket of my hoodie. I inched closer to her, holding the offers out. She soon relaxed enough to slow her breathing and peel herself off the wall. I set the water and chips on the mattress, joining her.

"I'm Envy, by the way." I smiled. She opened the water, smiling back at me.

"I'm Saiyu, as you already know."

"Mm." I nodded. "I'm sorry about all of this. My friend…he's got some crazy idea in his head and he's not an easy person to try and reason with."

"Oh…" She looked down.

"I can promise you, though, that I won't let him or any of those brainless flunkies around here hurt you in any way. I would never allow them to do that to anyone."

"R-really? You mean that?" I could see her face light up in hope. I couldn't help but smile.

"I do."

We share a comfortable slience of peace before my cell phone begins singing. I pull it out, reading the caller I.D. I can't help but smile in amusement. I look straight into the camera as I answer.

"Hello?"

"Get your ass up here right now!"

"I believe you need to say please."

"Fine. _Please_ get you're fucking ass up here right now, dammit!"

"Alright, but only because you begged." I smirked at the camera in the corner as he hung up on me.

"Is everything alright?" Saiyu anxiously tapped her fingers against her forearm, something we have in common. I smiled and nodded.

"I'm just in a little trouble with my friend and brother. I'll come back down tomorrow. I promise." I wave goodbye to her, leaving the room. Halfway back up the hall, I run into Mello.

"I thought you wanted me to come back up there?" I ask, utterly confused as to why he was making his way to me.

"Don't get smart with me." He shoved me against the wall. His hands landed on the wall on both sides of my head. I instantly became paniced. I looked him in the eye as he barked at me. "What's wrong with you? Why have you suddenly decided its fun to go by your own rules?"

My voice caught in my throat. I couldn't say anything. He was getting more irritated with each passing second of silence. He punched the wall on my right, making me jump and squeak in shock.

"Answer me! Why have you been acting like a little bitch lately?" He lowered his voice. Not by much, though. He was still at yelling level. He moved closer to me, pinning me even closer to the wall.

"Because you've been hostile toward me lately." I spoke in a whisper. I was beginning to freak out. He was close enough to where his nose would brush mine with each deep breath one of us would take. He knew I was claustraphobic, yet he trapped me anyway. I closed my eyes, trying to tell myself that I wasn't in any danger. I felt my body shaking, my heart beat against my chest, and the tears that I couldn't stop in time roll down my cheeks and line my jaw. I heard him take in a breath, readying himself to shout again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please, just don't hurt me!" I broke down, no longer thinking before I spoke. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. When I felt the heat radiating off his body move away, I couldn't help but peek open my eyes. His hands remained on the wall next to my head, but he had backed away, looking as though he had just been stabbed. I felt my knees go weak. I slid down the wall, holding my sides while I shook and cried. For the first time in my life, I was scared of Mello. I had never seen him so angry…so close to the edge of becoming physical with me. And he knew it. He knew I was scared of him when I begged him not to hurt me.

"I…" He choked out. I glanced back up when I heard him back away from me, still looking as though he'd been stabbed. He turned on his heel, practically running back upstairs. I stayed there, crying and shaking until I could recollect myself enough to stand. I was thankful for the third time today. Thankful that I skipped out on make-up, or else I would look like a racoon at this point. Taking a deep breath, I walked back upstairs. I planned on sitting in the main area and finishing the research I was doing, but he sat in there. I paused for a moment, contemplating sitting in there or not. He looked up, locking eyes with me. In the same second, I dropped my gaze and sped to our room. I took deep, even breaths to try and calm the nerves that threatened to make me shake once again. A knock came to the door, followed by Matt's voice.

"Sis? You alright? After he went and got you, you both seem a little…weird now." He shut the door, striding over to me.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look pale. Well, paler than usual." He joked.

I gave a sarcastic smile. "Thanks, bro. You know you're as pale as me. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get my laptop and finish my research." I tried going to the door when his hand found my wrist.

"Seriously, Emily. If he touches you or even threatens to touch you, tell me. He may be my best friend, but he's not going to hurt you. Alright?"

I looked into his eyes past his goggles. "Alright."

"Promise me. I know you can't break a promise once you make one, so do it." He held out his pinky. I linked my pinky with his, smiling at his protective side. With a playful shove of my head, we both walked out. I avoided Mello's gaze as I approached him, stretching my arm for my laptop. He became a little restless with each move I made. I moved my hair just enough to steal a peek at him. He looked upset. Not just the mad kind of upset, but also the sad kind of upset. I turned toward Tease.

"T, what time is it?"

"Um…," she peeked at Matt's laptop, "Almost ten thirty. Why?"

"That early? Damn. I'm getting old. I'm just going to bed. 'Night guys." I waved to Tease and Matt, bouncing off to our room again. I had just changed into a large t-shirt and shorts when I heard the door open. I ignored the person as I brushed my hair, having a good idea of who it was. I continued to pay no mind to him even though I could feel him watching me. I pulled the blankets back, laying down and trying to get comfortable.

"Envy."

I continued to ignore him. His tone still sounded harsh. I felt the bed shift behind me. I tried to remain calm as I felt him lay down behind me.

"Envy…" His voice dripped with pain as he now pleaded my name. I turned my head enough to let him know I heard him.

"Did…did I scare you earlier?"

I nodded slowly.

"Was it the yelling or did I make you claustraphobic?"

"…Both…"

"…I'm sorry. I don't know why I got so angry. Will you fogive me, please?" He inched his arm around my side, gingerly pulling me against him. I closed my eyes at the warmth he gave my back. It was so wrong for me to let him do this, but at the same time, it felt right.

"For now. You know I'll probably change my mind in the morning."

"As long as we have a moment of peace between us right now, I don't care."

"Go change out of your leather pants. That can't be comfortable to sleep in." He chuckled lightly at my motherly tone, getting up from the bed. I clutched the pillow as I thought to myself.

"_I know why you got so angry, Mello. It's because you want to be above everyone, to be number one. In order to be number one, you think you have to control everyone. But that isn't true. That's almost like trying to play God. At this point, Mel, you're on your way to acting like Kira. I'll never say that to your face, though. I'll keep faith in you. I'll keep hoping that you'll change and see that you don't have to above everyone else like you think you do."_

As I finished my thoughts, I felt Mello's warm, slender arm snake around my waist again. I felt his face bury into my thick hair. I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"I'll never hurt you." He whispered in my ear.

I gasped. He took me by surprise. My hand found his after he said that. He squeezed it tightly as he leaned to my ear again, whispering, "I promise I won't."

"I trust that you'll keep that promise, Mel." I squeezed his hand back as he laced our fingers together. I backed into him even more, never wanting him to let go. I felt safe in the arms of the man that frightened me no less than an hour ago.

I woke up later that night as my phone vibrated on the table. The small outer screen lit up enough to strain my sleep deprived eyes. I hit a button to silence it as I tried to remember who owned the number that was calling. Not being able to think of anything quick enough, I opened the phone.

"Hello?" I whispered, my throat incredibly dry.

"Hello, Envy. Did I wake you?"

I was suddenly wide awake. As I tried moving out of Mello's grasp without waking him I spoke quickly into the phone. "How did you get my number? I changed it after the last time we spoke."

"Why are you speaking so quietly? Surely you're in a room alone, aren't you?"

I finally got out of the bed without disturbing Mello. I rushed to get out of the room. Once I was in the hall, I spoke again.

"No, Near, I wasn't alone. Now, answer my question that I will ask you again. How did you get my number?"

"It's rather easy for me to get information. I believe that is all you need to know."

"Mm, right. I forget how you are sometimes when it comes to giving others information."

"Are you doing well? As well as Tease and Matt? I haven't heard from any of you since I last told you to change your cell phone numbers for safety matters."

"Yes, I'm doing fine. So are Tease and Brother. We've found a good place to live and with the one we were searching for."

"Ah, I see. So, you weren't alone because you were sleeping with Mello. Correct?" I could hear the smirk he wore through his tone.

"Yes and no. There aren't many rooms, so I was forced to share with Mello. Don't ask about the circumstanes, please. I'll inform you if we ever see each other face to face again."

"Right. Of course. Well, the main point of this call was not only to check on you three, but to let you have a number in which you can always reach me. This number is for emergencies only, though. Do not call me unless there is a certain threat of death facing you."

"Understood. I will not call you unless it is an extreme emergency."

"Thank you. I will let you return to your dreaming, as well as Mello."

"Thanks a lot." I let my sarcasm slip through, earning the smallest and quietest chuckle from him before hanging up. I rolled my eyes at his behavior, making my way back in the room. I set my phone down, laying back down in the bed. _That_ disturbed him.

"En…?" He groaned.

"Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

He held an arm up, wanting me to get closer. I inched closer to him, wrapping my arm around his side and resting my forehead against his warm chest. His arm fell down around my shoulders.

"Where did you go?" His head snuggled against mine.

"I woke up and became restless. I just walked around for a minute."

"Oh." Seconds after that, I felt his breathing slow. I instantly knew he fell back asleep. I took a deep breath, catching his scent. He smelled sweet, a mix of the fall air and chocolate lingered on his skin. It had to be the most intoxicating smell my senses had ever experienced. I blushed at my thoughts, wanting to slap myself. This guy, the same guy that I feared was going to hit me just mere hours ago, was holding me in his arms while I breathed in his scent. It was wrong. I shouldn't be letting this happen, especially if I was afraid him. Maybe after a good night's sleep and a day alone tomorrow, I'll know what to do…

**~/Author's Note\\~**

**That chapter was super long…I'm sorry if it was kinda boring. I just kinda start typing whatever comes to mind when it gets late enough…I promise I'll work on that, though! ****:)**** Reviews are happily welcomed! **


	7. A Brother's Worry and His Mistake

Chapter Seven:

A Brother'sWorries and His Mistake.

Matt's P.O.V

Believe it or not, being in the mafia was boring. It was only that way because of the crap Mello had us doing at the moment. It was like he didn't trust us to do anything very productive. I'd help watch over Saiyu some, but most of the time, Envy and I would do research and type up some papers for him while Tease organized them for us. She always looked so bored while stacking and stapling the papers. Every once and awhile, I'd ask her to take over my research while I went to the bathroom or to check the monitors. It wasn't much better then her secretary like position, but to her it was. It was worth offering just to see her angelic face light up.

Envy and I sat in the main area, typing our little fingers away when Mello strode in. He walked behind me, peeking over my shoulder. He snuck behind Envy to look at her screen as well. I noticed how she tensed up when he got near. I wanted to ask what exactly happened in the hall a few days ago to make her act so strangely, but I knew it would be a lost cause. She would never tell me, even if I made her promise to tell me. I wish she would open up and trust me more, considering I'm her other half, as we've always called each other. It worried me when she clamed up like that. The last time it happened was when reality finally sunk in about BB and A's deaths. She didn't eat for a day and a half, and she didn't speak for three days. I didn't want another delayed reaction like that from her. Suddenly, a crash came from the kitchen. Mello dashed to the commotion the second it reached our ears. I glanced at Envy. She simply shrugged, going back to her slouched position to return typing. I decided it wasn't important, returning to my work as well.

"That's not fair. It was an accident!" Tease shrieked as Mello brought her in and sat her down next to me.

"I don't care. I don't want you in there while I clean up your damn mess. Here. Go run these errands with Matt." He tossed a piece of notebook paper at her. As she opened it, I leaned over to check the list. It had hardly any groceries written on it. He just wanted her gone. I laughed quietly to myself at him, saving my work to prepare to leave. Envy jumped up as we stood.

"Can I go? I need to get out of here. I'm going stir crazy!"

"No, I need you here." Mello called from the kitchen, appearing around the door frame to look at her. Her shoulders slumped as she let out a small sigh.

"Fine. I'll stay." She threw herself back down on the couch, looking slightly bothered at his presence.

"You can go somewhere tomorrow. I'll even take you out if I have to." He left the room. I went to grab my keys as we exited the room. I saw the slightest hint of a smile on my sister's face as we left. I smiled as well.

"This is the most ridiculous list I've ever seen. There's nothing on here except stuff that can wait!" Tease complained, opening the passenger door to my precious mustang.

"He just wanted you out of there for awhile." I got in the driver's seat. I put the key in the ignition, then paused. I looked at Tease and waited. She finally looked up at me from the list.

"Why aren't we going?"

"You haven't put the seatbelt on yet."

"Neither have you."

"I think I'd be able to deal with myself if I got hurt by not wearing one. I wouldn't do to well if you got hurt, though." I adjusted my goggles, waiting for her response. Instead, a look of defeat washed over her features as she put on her seatbelt. I started the car with a smirk of victory, and began driving to nearest grocery store.

"So…can we talk about the other night?" She asked, gazing out the window as rain began to fall.

"Other night? You mean when I told you everything?"

"Yeah."

"Sure. What's there to talk about?"

"Well, I'm curious. Why are you afraid of something attacking if you go too deep in the ocean?"

I chuckled. "Jaws was some of the reason. Another reason is that I had a run-in with a small shark when our parents took us to the beach."

"Seriously? Will you tell me about it?" She turned towards me.

"Well, mom and dad wanted us to see the beach at least once while we were young, so they took us during summer vacation one year. Envy didn't like the water that much, so mom stayed with her close to shore. I kept wanting to go out further and further, though. Dad had to keep inching closer to me since I kept getting away from him. I finally got to the point where my feet weren't touching the sand anymore. I looked back and saw dad laughing at Envy, who kept getting knocked over. I also saw a small group of fish near me. I didn't think it meant anything so I kept playing and stuff. Then, a baby tiger shark came swimming past. I was so freaked I couldn't move. I freaked out even more when it brushed against my leg. I screamed for my dad, who saw the shark the second he turned around. I don't really remember much after that, though…sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for not remembering the rest." She laughed lightly. "But, a _baby _shark?"

"Hey, I was six. I didn't know it couldn't do much damage." I pulled into a parking spot at the grocery store. I looked around as we both got out.

"It's like a ghost town here." Tease noted as she ran. I shook my head, walking through the rain. She stood next to the carts, looking at her wet hair. I tried not to laugh loud enough for her to hear, but I failed. She sent a glare my way. I reached up and patted her cheek.

"You shouldn't look at people like that. Glares don't suit you." While she just stared at me trying to figure out what I meant, I took the so called list from her hand and walked on into the isles. I heard her light footsteps bound up behind me. I stopped suddenly, getting distracted in the candy section. I glanced at the list.

"Mello has chocolate written on here…surely it wouldn't be a crime if we got some stuff for us as well, right?" I was actually talking to myself, but Tease answered my question anyway.

"It's not a crime in my world." She picked up a bag of skittles and kept walking. I watched her as she walked away. She moved with such perfect grace, it was almost criminal. Wait, what? Did I really just think that? I shook my head, snatching a bag of mini Reese's cups and jogging to catch up with her. At the end of isle, we grabbed Mello some packs of chocolate. We walked throughout the rest of the store at a slower rate than usual. We eventually got the small amount of things needed, paid, and started out toward the door. Once again, she dashed through the rain into the vehicle. I kept my pace down to a simple walk. I got in the driver's seat, tossing the bag I held in the back seat.

"Wonder if he's still mad?" Tease thought aloud as we left.

"No clue. Maybe we should dodge going back for awhile."

"How can we do that? There's nothing else to do."

"I know a place." I glanced at her to see she was giving me a skeptical look. "Trust me on this, will ya?"

I heard her exhale rather loudly, then shift to go back to gazing out the window. We rode in silence the rest of the time. I assumed she fell asleep, considering how still she was. The heavy rained had turned to a pleasant drizzle by the time I got to the place Envy told me about. I tapped Tease on the shoulder. She jumped slightly, turning to look at me. I motioned for her to get out and follow me.

"Matt, where are we? It looks like we're at a random abandoned park." She moved closer to me, holding her arms.

"It technically is." I shoved my hands in my pockets, walking on.

"What? How did you find this place, then?"

"Envy found it online. She keeps getting distracted when she's supposed to be doing her research. Gotta love her." I kept walking until I found the wall of vines we read about. I pulled them apart, motioning for her to walk through it. She shot me a confused look before walking through. I heard her gasp.

"Matt, this is beautiful…" She gazed at the field of red lilies. The whole field was covered in the vibrant color, a light mist from the rain covering the air above them. Surrounding the field were weeping willow trees. It looked better than the pictures the website had, and those were pretty magnificent. It was ten times more amazing, if I may say. I walked up to her.

"I thought you'd like it. Plus I didn't know when it would rain again. There's only a mist like this when it rains."

"This is really amazing. But, why did you bring me here?" She looked up at me.

"We were out. Might as well, right?" I draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Well…thank you, then. Its nice to have something distract my mind, other than filing those damn papers."

"…Still thinking about BB?"

"Yeah…a lot." She laid her head against me.

"You know, I'm still here with an open ear if you want to talk." She didn't make any acknowledgement. I put my hand under her chin, making her look me in the eye. "Promise me you will?"

"Y…yeah." Her eyes bore into mine. I moved my hand up to cup her cheek. Before I knew it, our faces were merely an inch apart. I couldn't stop myself. I pushed my head forward just a little more, letting my lips just barely brush against hers. I felt her tense just before she pulled away. The look of confusion and fear flashed in her eyes.

"I think we should go." She whispered, rushing back to the car. When she disappeared from sight, I slapped my forehead.

"Idiot! Why did you go and do that?" I mumbled to myself, following her. The ride home was beyond any comprehensible sense of awkward. She didn't spare me a single glance the entire time. When we got back, she went straight inside, not even waiting for me or anything.

"What took you two so long, twin?" Envy bounced in the kitchen as I was putting things away, her long brown hair bouncing side to side in her high ponytail.

"Guess we took our time a little too slow."

"Oh…well, did you get anything good? Other than just plain chocolate, I mean?" She peeked in the bag as I grabbed the bad of Reese's cups. I tossed them at her.

"Yeah. You're favorite candy." I flashed a smile at her before sinking back into the living room and continuing my work. Too bad I couldn't do it. All my mind would focus on was the abrupt and unexpected kiss, and the look on her face…

**~/Author's Note\\~**

**I am so sorry this took so long to post…my writer's block got light enough for me to actually finish this chapter. I hope it turned out well…I'll try and be a better updater! I promise! But, please, review this. It helps me get the inspiration to write and update… ****J**

**BTW, I'd like to give a special thanks to Frogata, who has made me feel extra special about my writing with the reviews given to me~ ^w^**


	8. A Shinigami and Temporary Happy Ending

Chapter Eight:

A Shinigami and Temporary Happy Ending

It had only been three days since the incident with Mello. I was torn apart. My mind was screaming at me that I needed to avoid him for awhile, but my heart's whispering was seeping past the screaming. It was telling me that he truly was sorry and going through a rough patch, and he needed me to be there for him. I couldn't help but listen to my heart in the end. Sigh…why does my heart always win when it comes to him? I wonder…

Something else I had noticed lately that seemed odd, was the looks Matt and Tease would shoot to one another. One moment, he would be adoring her from across the room, then, their eyes would meet and you could feel awkward tension between the two if you were in the room with them at that moment. I was so tempted to ask them what exactly happened on their little trip the other day, but I just knew neither of them would tell me.

I checked my phone for the hundredth time as I procrastinated, yet again, in doing research for Mello. I was anxious to see if Near would call again to check up on us. I hadn't seen him in a very long time, and I missed him dearly. I wanted to meet up and talk to him soon. Maybe, just maybe, I could talk either Mello or Brother in to it…

"Envy. How are things going?" Mello's voice boomed as he entered the room. I dropped my phone almost instantly, returning my attention to the laptop's screen. To my dismay, my phone landed on the concrete floor with a loud _smack_, letting Mello and the flunkies following him know I wasn't doing much of anything. I kept my eyes focused on the screen, though, and typed lightly. The footsteps stopped. I heard a heavy sigh.

"You weren't working on anything, were you?"

"W-what? Of course I was! What makes you think I wasn't?" My cracked at the end, giving away the fact that I was lying.

"Your phone smacking the floor was the first clue. Your voice cracking was the second." He came to stand next to me, looking at the screen and papers surrounding me.

"Alright, you caught me…I'm just so bored! I need something else to do other than this damn research, Mello."

He picked up a paper, eyeing it over. He didn't even look up as he spoke to me. "Here's something, then. I know you care about Saiyu, so get her and follow him to a bullet proof chamber to prepare for the trade." He pointed to one of the guys waiting at the door frame.

"The trade? You're still going through with it." I sighed and stood up. "Alright, I'll get her."

"Thanks." He dropped the paper, beginning to walk off. I grabbed his arm to stop him for a moment.

"When the notebook is ours, will anything between us change? Our little group, I mean."

He stared at me, completely shocked at my seemingly random question. He shut his eyes, shook his head lightly, then smiled down at me. He reached up, tucking my hair behind my ear gently. "Of course not. I won't let anything change in our group."

I smiled lightly back at him before making my way to get Saiyu. When I was out of his earshot, I sighed heavily. The man following me eyed me over slightly, but didn't question my sigh.

Since Saiyu arrived here, I had a haunting suspision that if or when the notebook was in our hands, Mello might go overboard with pride. I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want him to go power happy with it and possibly find Near to shove it in his face that he was a step ahead of him. As much as I hated to admit it, that sounded just like something he'd do. He's only ever been better than Near at Hide and Seek, and this would just been seen as another win against Near in his eyes.

"Saiyu. Follow me, please." I used my best monotone voice I could muster when I opened the door. She sat up on the mattress.

"Where are we going?…"

"I'm taking you somewhere safe. Someone is almost here to retrieve you."

"Retrieve?" She stood, walking toward me with a hopeful gleam in her eye. "Does that mean I'm going to go home?"

He guy behind me chuckled deeply. "With any luck."

I shot a glare at him. "Oh, shut up." I looked back her. "Yes, sweetheart. You're going to go home."

I held my hand out toward her. She walked to me letting me put my arm around her shoulders in comfort. I nodded toward the man, letting him know we were ready for her to go to the bullet proof chamber Mello mentioned. All three of us walked in silence. The further down the dark corridor we got, the more violently Saiyu would shake. I rubbed her arm reassuringly, which managed to calm her shaking some.

"Put her in." The guy mumbled as he opened the clear door to the chamber. It slightly reminded me of a revolving door. I walked in there with her and made her sit down.

"Now, Saiyu, listen to me. I have to go back to the others. You're going to be left with him, but you don't need to worry. Someone is going to get you soon. There are cameras surrounding this entire area, so I'll be watching just in case something goes wrong."

She nodded lightly. I placed a hand on her head, smiling at her, before walking off. I rounded the corner and practically ran back up to the observation room. No one was in there. I checked the main room to find everyone in there. Mello was sitting on the couch, chocolate bar in hand. Tease and Matt were sitting in the floor near each other. Matt played on his hand held, and Tease listened to her iPod, not giving a care in the world about her surroundings. I slid past two men and sat next to Mello.

"She's in there, waiting for her saviour." I informed him. He nodded and took a bite from his chocolate, obviously pleased so far. "Who is supposed to get her? Do you know?"

"Yeah. Sochiro Yagami. Her father, and leader of the police force. Actually, they should be making the trade right now. He was in the building just as you were dropping her off. Had you been down there just a few more minutes, you probably would've met him."

"Oh. Well, at least she's being picked up by-"

"Ahh! Gah!" One of the bodyguards screamed. We all looked over to see him clutching his chest. He fell to the floor after a moment of struggling. He eventually stopped moving.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. I swallowed hard. "Is he…dead?"

"It was a heart attack, girly. Probably from the testing of the notebook. He's gotta be dead. He was useless anyway." Rod said, from the other side of Mello. Mumbles of agreement filled the room.

"Let him know it's real." Mello said in an amazingly calm voice. The guy that had just spoken instantly called the guy I left Saiyu with, telling him of the newly dead man in the room with us. I took a few deep breathes to calm myself. I grabbed Mello's hand as I tried to remain calm. I felt him look at me when he tightened his grip on my hand.

"You alright?" He whispered.

I nodded slightly. "Yeah. Just not used to…this."

"Matt." Mello called. Matt shifted his head toward us, his eyes still trained on the small screen in his hands. "Take Tease and Envy to either my room or your's. Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Got it." He stood up, taping Tease on the head to get her attention. He motioned for her to follow and she complied wordlessly. I stayed on the couch, though, not wanting to leave Mello's side.

He leaned up to my ear, his hot breath tickling it. I shivered in odd involuntary pleasure at the feeling. "Go. I'll be there in a minute or two. I promise."

Since I couldn't find my voice, I nodded. I took one last look back at the blond before going into Matt and Tease's room. Tease laid in the middle of the bed, her iPod still blasting her music into her ears. Matt was in the floor, going through a bag of video games. I sat in the floor against the bed and watched him.

"Hey, Sis?" Matt asked quietly, almost hesitantly. Strange. He never seemed to be hesitant when he wanted to talk to me.

"Yeah, Brother?"

"The first time you went to visit Saiyu…what happened between you and Mello in the hall before you came back up?"

"N-nothing. Nothing at all happened. Why do you ask?"

"I hope you aren't lying to me. I noticed how odd you and him acted around each other after that night. You still act a little odd every now and again."

"Sometimes I forget how observant you are…" I mumbled.

"Did something happen?"

"Kind of, but not really." I pulled my legs up and rested my arms on my knees. "He was pissed that I snuck down to see her. He trapped me against the wall and forgot I was claustrophobic. I kinda started to freak out and I eventually broke down in tears and started begging for him not to hurt me. He got a little freaked that I was crying and that I thought he was going to hurt me, so he fled."

Matt remained silent. He paused in his searching for a moment, then returned to it as he spoke again. "…He _didn't _hurt you, did he?"

"No! Of course not! I just got a little panicked is all." Only because of my claustrophobia and he punched the wall next to my head…

"Good. Had he hurt, I would've hurt him."

"Look, I know you're my brother, and you want to defend me and all, but two wrongs don't make a right."

"Like I care. You're my sister and I'll stand up for you 'til the end."

I crawled over to him and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks, my other half."

The door creaked open to show the leather clad blond on the other side of it. "She's gone. The trade was a success. We're a step ahead…a step ahead of Near…" He smiled jubilantly at his own words. I stood up, placing a fake smile on my lips.

"Of course we are."

"Come on, Sis, that's great news." Matt called as I rounded the corner. I heard Mello begin to follow me.

"Please, just let me be for two minutes." I asked without even bothering to turn around. I could only assume he agreed since he said nothing. I kept walking until I reached our room. I shut the door quietly. I took my golden cross off from around my throat. I stared at it for what seemed like an hour. I finally gave in, kneeling down next to the bed, while still clutching the pendant. I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and began my silent prayer.

I simply prayed that from this point on, everyone plays it safe. We had a powerful and deadly notebook in our clutches, but knowing our group's leader all too well, that soon wouldn't be enough. Just being one simple step ahead of Near wouldn't settle his nerves. He'll want to go even further, even faster, to solve the case before him. If we aren't careful and stealthy, this could easily turn into a blood bath. Not just a blood bath, no…one of the most brutal, heart wrenching blood bathes ever known to any child that has attended Wammy's.

A silent tear fell down my cheek as I finished my prayer to God.

.::/ A Few Days Later \\::.

After the trade had been a success and Rod had decided we needed to move to a new base, some of us sat out in the new main area, acting bored. Tease listened to her iPod as she drew something in her notebook. Matt was fixing a laptop Tease managed to crash by uploading some kind of video game on to it. I sat next to Mello, reading my worn out copy of "Lord of the Flies". I felt his arm fall from the back of the couch to down around my shoulders. I glanced up at him past my glasses. He simply kept his focus on the notebook as he ate his chocolate. Deciding not to fight it, I turned into him and continued reading with a slight smile. I glanced up when I felt Tease watching me. I mouthed 'what?' to her when she never looked away. She instantly made kissy faces and began laughing quietly when my face turned a bright pink. I focused on the book again when she finally turned her interest to Matt.

I felt Mello shift slightly as he began speaking. "The, uh…the notebook just flew."

I looked up noticing the notebook was no longer in his hands. I looked over at Rod as he spoke up to Mello. "Ha, it's a notebook that kills people. Hell, nothing surprises me anymore."

One of the guys behind us screamed as he fell from his chair. I turned and looked over Mello's head to see what was wrong with the guy.

"Boss! Who is this? The guy in the freaky costume! Who the hell is he! Who brought him here?" He stared and pointed at nothing, visibly shaking from fear.

"He's totally lost it…" I mumbled. Mello kept watching with everyone else, all confused by his actions.

"A Shinigami?" He asked, then started laughing. After another second, he picked the notebook up. "He says you can see him if you touch the notebook. Please, everyone touch it! I swear, I'm not crazy!" He now stood with both hands on the notebook, holding it out to everyone.

Mello looked back over at Rod as he told us what to do. "Fine. Whatever. Come on, guys. Touch the notebook."

One by one, we all put a hand on the notebook. One by one, everyone freaked out at the new, now visible, creature in the room with us. In a matter of a seconds, guns were pulled out and being shot at the Shinigami. I ducked down, shocked at the sudden shootings. I felt Mello put his arms around me for comfort and safety. When the gun fire finally ceased, Tease and Matt stood up and stared at it. I straightened up a bit and looked at it as well. Mello and I still remained sitting on the couch.

"Nice try," it said, "But, you humans can't kill a Shinigami."

Rod spoke behind us. "Jack's right. That ain't no costume. That's a real, live Shinigami. So, now what do we do?"

After everyone had settled down and we learned of the Shinigami's name, Sidoh, he explained to us that two of the rules were fake.

Rod read them off again before questioning Sidoh. "Are you sayin' those two rules are made up?"

We watched as Sidoh munched happily on some chocolate. "Oh yeah, those rules are definitely fake. My guess is a Shinigami wrote those rules down as a joke before giving it to a human."

Mello's mouth hung slightly open, his chocolate bar just at his lips. I wondered what was going through his mind when he suddenly barked an order. "Sidoh, go keep watch outside."

Sidoh looked down at Mello, looking, from what I could tell, somewhat shocked that a human was giving him orders.

"It'll be very convinent to us that you can't be seen by humans. Go outside and keep watch, got it?" He said harshly. Sidoh stared down at him. I ran a hand through my thick, wavy hair, not believing he was actually talking like _that_ to a _Shinigami._ Who did he think he was? If Sidoh wanted to, he could kill him right now! Never the less, Sidoh agreed to go outside. I laughed to myself a little bit. He looked back at me.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at the fact you just told a _Shinigami_ what to do, and he obeyed. Don't be surprised if he kills you." I smiled a little more. I stood up. "But, anyway, I've had a little too much excitement for today, so I'm going to bed." I began to walk past him when he suddenly stood up, too. We were so close, our chests were almost touching. I felt my heart beat speed up slightly as I looked up at him, wondering why he stood so abruptly. He kept staring down at me as he spoke.

"I'm gonna go bed too, guys. If the Shinigami comes back in for some reason, just give him some chocolate and make him go back outside." He placed a hand on my back and lightly ushered me toward our room.

"Get some, Mello!" The dumbass that first saw Sidoh shouted.

"That's my sister, man!" Matt shouted, throwing something at him as we exited together.

I walked into our shared room, Mello closely following me. I turned around and sat on the bed as he ditched his vest, smiling happily. He threw his gloves off onto the dresser. I watched, a little shocked at his mood, as he removed his boots and leather pants. Obviously, he didn't care that I was in the room with him. Usually he would've warned me he was about to strip down that much. He jumped on the bed behind me. I glanced back, regretting it immediately. I hated to admit it, but the sight before me took my breath away.

He laid in the middle of the bed in nothing but his boxers. He still wore his rosary around his neck. He had his hands rested behind his head. His muscles were flexed just enough on his naked torso to show their definition, as well as in his arms. His long hair was webbed out around him, and his bangs hung in his face. He looked amazing, and it made me flush in embarrassment.

I jumped up, quickly picking out a plain black tank top and a pair of purple Jack Skellington shorts to change into. I almost ran into the bathroom the second I grabbed them. After I rushed into my pajamas, I checked my reflection super quick in the mirror. I fluffed my already fluffy hair a little bit before walking out. I looked at Mello, who hadn't really moved since I left the room. He sat up on his elbows when I walked out. I walked to the foot of the bed, crawling up to the middle. I sat on my knees next to him.

"So what's our next move?"

"I don't know yet." He sat up all the way. "But I don't want to talk about that stuff right now. I am in a really good mood, and I just want to lay with you and go to sleep because nothing else could put me in a better mood right now."

Acting in impulse, I shifted myself to straddle his lap lightly. "Nothing?" I asked, and bit my lip with a slight smile. I playfully took a finger and ran it down his chest as far as I could before he stopped me. I smiled all the way as he held my hand above our heads and kept me stable with his other hand on my back.

"Well, there are a few other things, but I'm sure I won't be able to get it tonight. Especially not from my favorite little Christian girl." He smirked.

"Try me…" I purred in his ear. The hand that held my own slowly slid down my arm down to the small of my back. I lowered my arm to wrap around his neck. He slowly began leaning forward. I quickly put a finger to his lips. He pulled back some, giving me a curious look. I smiled devilishly.

"You really thought I'd do something?"

He stared at me for a moment, obviously thinking I was going to give him a little something. I chuckled slightly at his expression. I pushed his bangs apart, kissed his forehead and took my glasses off.

"Goodnight, Mel." I sang as I snuggled in under the covers.

He leaned over, placed a hand on my waist, and whispered in my ear. "Goodnight, En."

I took in a sharp breath as he slightly blew in my ear before turning the light out and laying down. I tried to slow my breathing as he fell into a deep sleep beside me. After thinking too much, I found myself staring at the ceiling of the dark room, wide awake. I sighed quietly. I jumped slightly when I felt his arm slide over my waist. I looked over at him. Through the darkness I could see his features almost perfectly. He looked a little contemplative, like he was dreaming of something confusing. I reached up, running my fingers through his golden hair. His face softened almost instantly. He shifted closer to me, nuzzling his nose into the crook of my neck. Smiling in odd comfort, I wrapped my arm around him, continuing to play with his hair. I rested my head on his some. I soon found a deep set comfort within, and found that I could finally sleep…

**~.:: Author's Note ::.~**

**I'm so honestly sorry how long I take to update…my laptop is acting a little screwy right now, so I just don't fool with it much anymore. This chapter is finally up and running, though, and maybe if I get some POSITIVE FEEDBACK, I'll be able to get inspiration to actually write the NEXT CHAPTER. So, if you haven't gotten the subtle hints, I am BEGGING you to PLEASE, oh pretty please, REVIEW this story so far…I will highly apperciate it… ^_^ Thank you! **


	9. Feelings

Chapter Nine:

Feelings

Envy's Point of View:

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the silence. Silence? Strange, since I always heard at least _one_ person moving about. The second thing I noticed right away was the amount of warmth and weight on my stomach. I lazily opened one eye and craned my head down enough to see what I was feeling. Mello had, somehow, ended up laying with his head on my stomach and had his hand laying loosely on my left hip. I smiled lightly as butterflies tickled about in my stomach.

Wait, butterflies? Why was I feeling nervous like this? It couldn't have been the fact he was still in his boxers. I had seen him like that many times before, both recently and all the way dating back to my years at Whammy's. Maybe it was just because he was clinging onto my hip. Yeah, that had to be it. No one had ever really touched my hips before, so I had to be getting worked up over that…right?

"Mello?" I whispered as I stroked his hair. "Mel?"

No response. I chuckled lightly at how deep a sleep he seemed to be in. Carefully, I moved his arm off of me, as well as his head. I slid out of the bed, tiptoeing to the dresser. I grabbed a black and red plaid skirt, a black long sleeve shirt, a pair high heeled boots, and a black belt with silver studs to change in to and made my way to the bathroom.

The first thing I did was plug in the flat iron to straighten my hair. I didn't want to deal with my curls today. Sure, they could look good on the right day, but today I looked like a poodle gone wrong. While I waited for the flat iron to heat up, I changed out of my pajamas. I fixed my skirt lightly before brushing my hair out to prepare it for the burning hot metal plates. That helped tame it some, but not much. With a wondering sigh, I began to straighten my hair. It took thirty-five minutes to get all of it straight. Who knew it would take so long? It went just past my shoulders blades when I had it straight, so I guess I can see why it took so long. A mix of long hair and thickness added to the difficulty, apparently.

I finally reached into the cabinet next to the mirror and got my make-up bag out. I put on a somewhat thick layer of powder before applying my usual smoky black eye shadow. Once I had my eyelid covered, I took the small eyeshadow brush and added a lighter color of gray to the crease. I took my eyeliner out, putting it on my upper lid and just barely under my eye. Taking one last look in the mirror, I smiled. Today felt like it was going to be VERY good…

Mello's Point of View:

I woke up to a cold, empty bed. Slightly startled, I sat up. I looked around for Envy. The only traces of her were her glasses and necklace on the table next to her side of the bed. I was about to go search for her when I heard her light humming come from the bathroom. I instantly calmed down and laid back again. I closed my eyes once more as I listened to her intoxicating hum form into words. She sang a song I just vaguely recognized as "Good Morning Sunshine" by the '90s band Aqua. She quieted herself as she opened the bathroom door and walked over to the dresser.

_'She must still think I'm asleep…'_ I thought to myself as she put a pair of earrings on. She turned around and jumped slightly when she saw I was awake and watching her.

"Mello!" She exclaimed as she put a hand to her chest. "You scared me. Did I wake you?"

"No. I was already up."

"Oh, good. I was hoping you were in a deep enough sleep to where I wouldn't disturb you." She flashed a smile at me as she went to her side of the bed. She sat down, moving her long bangs out of her face. She slipped her glasses on, quickly moving to put on her necklace.

I raised myself up on my elbows as I continued to watch her. She stood up, strutting back to the bathroom. I couldn't help but watch her entire body as she walked. The way she carried herself just mesmerized me sometimes. The way her hips would swing caught all of my attention today, though. The almost too short skirt she was sporting waved side to side with her hips as she walked. It was enough to make my blood boil with teenage hormonal desire.

No! No, no, no! I mentally smacked myself. I sat up all the way and rubbed my forehead. I didn't have time to be thinking about that kind of thing when I had a goal. A goal to better the world. A goal to avenge L. A goal to beat Near. Near. I wonder where that little twit is at anyway? How far has he gotten in the case? It doesn't much matter, anyhow, since we have a notebook and Shinigami in our hands, but I still wonder. We need to advance soon if we want to get even further ahead of him.

I jumped up, preparing my clothes to change as Envy walked back out and began making the bed.

"So, what are today's plans?" She asked over her shoulder. "I hope nothing too serious. I think we could all use a break by this point."

"A break?" I questioned, a little more harsh than I meant for it to sound.

"Y-yeah…sorry, I shouldn't have said that…"

"A break…" I pondered. Envy did seem a little worn lately, same for Matt and Tease. Maybe a break wouldn't be so bad. "No, I agree with you, En. We all deserve a small break."

"Really?" She leaned against the wall after finishing the bed.

"Yeah." I pulled my pants on, smirking when she turned her gaze away with a blush on her cheeks as I tied the strings at my crotch. "Maybe we can go somewhere. Like…the…mall, or something. We could bring Matt and Tease along with us." I quickly added.

"Um…sure. That sounds nice. I'll go ask them, ok?" She flashed another small smile at me as she left the room in almost a rush. I waited until she was out of the room to groan and bang my head against the wall.

"Why did I add them at the last minute? I wanted it to just be us today…" I turned and leaned against the wall. The cold paint sent a chill down my spine. I watched a fly on the ceiling as I thought aloud some more. "Wait…why did I want it to be just us today? Could it maybe be…no. Impossible."

'_Improbable.' _My inner voice corrected. I sighed, finally putting my vest on.

"Right. Improbable…"

Matt's Point of View:

I sat on the bed with Tease behind me as I slipped my red and black stripped shirt on. I fixed the goggles on my face as a knock came to the door. Envy slowly creaked it open.

"Hey, guys. You're up, right?"

"Of course we are. We don't sleep in all the time like you and blondie." Tease joked as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Why? Does he need us to do more research and filing today?"

"No, actually." Envy smiled brightly. "He agreed with me that we all need a break. He said we can all go out somewhere if you're willing to go with us. So, wanna go?"

I looked at Tease for a second before getting up and approaching my sister. I threw my elbow onto her shoulder and leaned against her, thankful she was so short. "I'm game. Where are we going to go, though?"

"Don't know. We'll decide something eventually, though."

"Wicked. Tease." I looked over at her as she observed us. "You want to go, too?"

"What the hell? I have nothing better to do." She slid off the bed, putting her ever worn out flipflops on.

"Sweet! I'll go tell Mello~" My sister sang as she skipped off. I leaned from the door frame and called for her to put something on under her skirt. She threw an arm up at me, letting me know she heard me. I turned around, automatically going to search the room for my boots.

"...I think I'm go to change shirts. I don't look good in this one..." Tease said, most likely to herself rather than me. I looked up. She was wearing black skinny jeans, and an amazing white top that hung off one of her shoulders. It showed just enough of her curves to make a man want to pursue her.

"Don't change." I peeked under the bed as I spoke. "You look really nice in that shirt. Hell, you look just plain stunning today."

"Stunning? Are you crazy? I look horrible."

I pulled my boots out from under the bed and walked to her. I took her chin between my index and thumb and lightly tilted her head up to look her in the eye. "Never say that. You never look horrible. You always look beautiful, beautiful enough to take my breath away. You've always had that effect on me."

She seemed to be at a loss for words, so I released her chin, grabbed my boots, and left the room with a hidden smirk on my lips.

Tease's Point of View:

After having a small mental melt down from Matt's words, I grabbed my cell and my wallet and went to the main area of the base. Envy sat next to her brother with leggings on. Just looking at them right next to each other, you could tell they were related. It helped that they were wearing similar colors. I silently watched as Envy helped Matt get a spot off his boot. Mello waltzed in shortly after Envy was successful in removing the mystery spot.

"So," he started, "where do you guys want to go?"

"I'm cool with going anywhere. Just as long as I don't have to stare at a computer screen for hours upon hours..." Envy joked. She looked over at Mello. I watched as her face softened, an almost shy smile cross her lips. I smiled to myself, thinking of all the ways I could toy with her to get her to tell me what's on her mind when she looks at him like that.

"Tease, where do you want to go?" Mello asked.

I put a finger to my chin in thought. I bit in the inside of my cheek, wondering. "What about the small outlet mall just a few miles away from here?"

"Hey, that sounds like a cool idea." Matt agreed.

I felt my stomach knot up in the good kind of nervous way when he agreed with me. He seemed so calm all the time, I couldn't stand it. I don't think I ever saw him overthink anything or disagree with anyone really. He was a 'go-with-the-flow' kind of guy, and I loved that about him. It seemed like I loved everything about him a lot more lately...

"So, to the outlet mall we go!" Envy announced, standing up. We all went out to Matt's mustang. I was ready to fight Mello for the passenger seat when when he automacially went for the _back_ passenger seat. I didn't question him, fearing a fight would break loose. I happily took the front seat, smiling at Matt lightly as he started the car.

Mello's Point of View:

The car ride to the outlet mall was, in a word, pleasant. Tease and Matt kept their own converstation going the whole time, leaving me and Envy in peace. When we got there, we split up. Tease wanted to look at games, so naturally Matt followed her. Envy and I simply walked around, looking at anything and everything. One place really caught her attention.

"Hey, Mello, check this one out. Isn't it beautiful?" She picked up a crystal figurine of a butterfly.

"Yeah. Shiny."

She set it down and continued looking around, me following her. She was admiring a crystal panda when some guy that looked like he belonged in a boy band came up to her and began talking.

"Hey, cutie. What's your name?"

She glanced up. She smiled sweetly as she replied. "Lost. Get lost." She went back to looking at the animal figures. I looked away so I wouldn't laugh at the guy's face.

"Ha-ha, that's funny, copying James Bond. Now, really, what's your name? I'm Jackson."

"I don't care what your name is, therefore you shouldn't care about mine. Now, goodbye."

He stepped toward to her, starting to say something else, when I cut in. "So, babe, see anything you like?" I placed my arm carefully and securely around her waist. She looked up at me, getting the idea.

"No, nothing suites my fancy here, hon. Nothing at all." She gave the guy, Jackson, a once over before turning back to me. She took my hand and lead me away. When we were a safe distance away, she began laughing.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just how pathetic some guys are sometimes. You know, I'm glad you followed me instead of going off with Tease and Matt."

"Me too. Who knows what that creep may have wanted?" I glanced down, noticing we still our hands linked. "You hungry? I know I am."

"Yeah, I could go for some food."

I held her hand a little tighter as we weaved through the huge crowd to find some food.

Tease's Point of View:

The games that were being sold were pitiful. None of them were any good. So, Matt and I looked at the posters they had as well as the plushies and figures of characters and such. While Matt was mulling over buying a one-up mushroom from the Mario games, I stared at him in thought. I was just seeing him so differently now.

"Hey, Matt?"

"Huh?" He flipped the plush mushroom around to look for a price tag.

"Can I try something with out you freaking out or anything?"

"Sure. What do you wanna try?"

I stepped up to him, pushing his face toward me. I got on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his. I felt him stiffen for just a milisecond before he relaxed and kissed back. I quickly pulled away, to both our dismay. He pushed his goggles onto his head, his wonderful emrald eyes wondering what just happened. I smiled up at him.

"I just wanted to try it."

He smiled back. "Well, I'm glad you did. Could that maybe mean that you're crushin' on me, too?"

"It just could." I grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together. All of a sudden, ruining the moment, his phone began blasting "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid". He pulled it out, not even bothering looking at the called I.D.

"Hey...Already?...Alright, we'll meet you guys out there." He snapped his phone shut and shoved it back in his jeans pocket.

"Are they ready to go or something?"

"Apparently so. You ready?"

"I guess. Let's go." I smiled up at him again, feeling overjoyed.

Envy's Point of View:

By the time we got home, the sun was setting. Sidoh was outside still, chewing on some chocolate. I greeted him with a cheerful smile as we all entered the building. Matt and Tease instantly went off to their room to be alone. As expected since they were turning into a thing. I remained in the main area with Mello. Rod sat in there with us, one of his regular 'guests' with him.

I faced Mello, playing with my fingers. "Today was really fun. I wish we had time to do it more often, honestly..."

"It was pretty fun, wasn't it?"

I glanced behind me for a split second and saw Rod getting a little too friendly with his guest. "I'm going to go chill in the bedroom. You want to come?"

He looked behind me. "Yeah. I'm ready to change anyway."

We got to the bedroom, both of us changing into more comfortable clothes. For him, it was just a simple pair of lounge pants and no shirt. For me, it was a tank top and a pair of his old pajama pants. When I walked out them he gave me an odd look.

"Aren't those mine?"

"Yep. They're comfortable. Do you not want me to wear them? I can take them off and change into-"

"No, no, you're fine. Just caught me off guard."

"Oh." I sat on the edge of the bed next to him. We looked at each other for a moment. He reached up and removed my glasses. After setting them down, he tucked some of my hair behind my ear and moved my bangs out of my eyes. he hesistated in bringing his hand down, allowing it to remain on my cheek. Being stuck in his gaze i felt myself leaning in to him. Our lips were less than an inch away from each other by this point.

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Sis, do you have my headphones?"

We both stopped moving. I looked down at the ground, my shoulders dropping a little. His hand fell from my cheek. I slowly moved my upper body away from him.

"Why would I have them, Matt? I have two pairs of mine that work perfectly well."

"Ok, then. You could've just said no..." He mumbled through the door. We lisetned as his footsteps faded out. I continued to look at the ground as the air around us seemed to be suffocating us with the awkwardness of the moment.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I just-" I started to apologize but I couldn't think of what to say. I felt awkward and embarrassed.

"It's fine. I'm just as much at blame, if not a little more." He said. He stood up, putting a pair of slippers on. "I'm going to look some stuff up. If I get into it, I might come to bed late."

"Ok." He left the room with an awkward galnce back at me. Feeling shame, I grabbed my favorite pillow, laid down on top of the sheets, and slowly fell asleep...

**.::~Author's Note~::.**

**Ok. so, I feel like this was super long...maybe it was because I kept switching P.O.V's...I don't know. Speaking of the switching, how did I do? Did it turn out well? I hope so. If it did, I might do it once or twice again. I'll definitely do it much later chapters...ANYWAY, after this chapter, guess what's coming up? The inncident where Mello gets his scar! :) Please, review this~ That would make me very happy and encourage me to keep going...**


	10. The Accident

Chapter Ten:

The Accident 

After waking to an empty bed, I decided to get dressed and see if we were back to our busy schedule in the case. Mello couldn't be found anywhere, but Matt could and told me what to do. I spent the entire day typing away on a computer, searching for any hidden information on Kira's victims and the Police Force. Turns out, I wasn't an experienced enough hacker to break through the right firewalls.

I sat with Matt and Tease in the main area at a few minutes to midnight. Time had flown by and had worn my eyes out. I cuddled my favorite pillow and lowered the follow on my iPod before checking my phone again. No messages, no calls. Good. I was about to ask Matt what else needed to be done when Mello stormed in.

"Get out. All three of you, get out and go to Matt's car. Now!" He threw Matt's keys at him as he rushed about the room.

"What? Why? What's going on, Mello?" I asked, all of my fear and worry leaking out through my voice.

"Precautions." He didn't dare look at us. "I have a feeling that damn Police Force will be here soon. Just get out and go."

"No. Not with out you." Matt said, standing up. "I'm not- _we're_ not leaving you again."

Mello sighed heavily and finally turned to us. "Fine. Just wait by the car, then. I'll be out eventually and we can flee." Tease grabbed her iPod that sat beside her and ran out with Matt following close behind. I went to Mello and hugged him tightly. Without hesitation, he returned the tight hug.

"Please, be careful." I whispered.

"No promises." He joked. "Now go before something bad happens." He kissed my cheek and went back to rushing around. I grabbed my pillow and ran to catch up with the other two.

Tease sat on the hood of the mustang while Matt leaned against it, holding her hand. I paced back and forth whole biting my nails. The worry was eating me alive. I wanted him to come out right that second so we could escape and go somewhere else safe…

"Relax, Sis. Everything's going to be alright." Matt said. His words barely reached me, though. I was beginning to freak a little too much. I began to lightly shake uncontrollably.

"Emily." Matt snapped. I stopped moving at the sound of my almost forgotten true name. "You have to calm down. He'll be just fine. It's Mello we're talking about. You think he's really going to accept death or anything close to that right now?"

Before I could respond, an explosion was heard. We all snapped our heads up to the partially burning building. My breathing sped up. My thoughts stopped. My blood ran cold. I watched the flames as my fear filled thoughts became reality. An explosion went off.

"Oh my God!" Tease gasped, jumping off the car.

Impulse hit. I began running off toward the building to look for Mello. I suddenly stopped when Matt wrapped his arms around me and held me in place. I hit his arms in protest, but he held on tight.

"No, no! Matt, let me go! I'm not letting another one slip away! I'm not letting anyone else from our group die!"

"I'm not letting you go. Trust in him. He'll come out."

"Mail, please!" Tears burned my eyes and blurred my vision. I continued to try and pull myself loose.

"No! He said he'd be out, remember? Believe him, trust him! If he's not out soon, I'll go in for him. I'm not letting him die, either, Sis."

I stopped struggling. My knees went weak. Matt released me, letting me fall to the ground. We watched the flames flick into the night sky. Every passing second felt like a year. With each year long second, my heart beat a little faster.

"That's it. I'm going in." Matt finally announced, pushing his goggles down over his eyes and beginning to run toward the building. Tease and waited out by the car, each of us anxiously awaiting for both of them to come out of the building. They finally came out, though, Mello hanging off of Matt's shoulders. Tease and I met them half way to discover Mello had been seriously injured. I hastily wiped my tears away, instantly putting Mello's other arm around my shoulders to help. Tease opened the back door, helping us lay him down in the back.

"I'll sit with him. We just need to get a motel or something right now." I lifted his unconscious head and placed it on my lap as Tease and Matt got in the car and took off. Matt drove as fast and as carefully as possible. We eventually arrived at a hotel. While Matt rushed to check us in, Tease got in the glove box and tried looking for some kind of a first aid kit that could help Mello. I simply ran my hand through his hair, worrying about him. He groaned lightly, opening his eyes.

"Mm…En? What…happened?"

"Shh, don't talk. You got hurt in an explosion. Matt's checking us in to a hotel right now. Just rest." I placed my hand the good side of his face, rubbing his cheek with my thumb. He weakly reached up and placed his hand on my own. I felt tears well up in my eyes again. Matt came back to the car, opening the back door and helping get the still conscious Mello out of the back. We rushed passed the receptionist, who thankfully had her back turned, and got straight into the room. Matt directed us to one of the bedrooms, laying Mello down on the twin sized bed. I rushed off to get a wash rag. When I came back, Mello was out again.

"You girls go out in the living room. I'll take care of him for now." Matt said, stripping his goggles and gloves off and beginning to remove Mello's ruined clothing. Tease and I obliged, speaking quietly of the sleeping arrangements between ourselves. We decided we should all cycle out in night watches. The other two that didn't stay in the room with Mello would sleep in the other bedroom. On this first night, Matt would stay with Mello.

.::/One Week Later\\::.

After a week of bed rest, Mello was finally showing signs of recovering. His wounds had closed, but they still needed to be cleaned and wrapped daily. He would bounce in and out of consciousness all the time, each time the amount of time he'd spend awake being longer than the last. Matt and Tease had gone out shopping for more bandages and food, leaving me alone with Mello. I had just stepped out of the shower when I faintly heard someone.

"Hey, is anyone here?"

Mello's voice. Is he awake already? I quickly grabbed the short robe on the back of the door and walked out. I peeked into the room to see him trying to sit up. I went to his side instantly.

"Don't strain yourself. Your injuries should still be kind of bad."

He looked up at me, giving me a quick once over before looking away again. "Where are the other two?"

"Shopping. We needed more food and more bandages for you." I reached for his hand, stopping short. I dropped it right next to his, clutching the sheets lightly. "So, how are you feeling?"

"How do you think I'm feeling?" He barked. "We lost the notebook, I'm injured, and now we're further behind then we are ahead!"

I clutched the sheets tighter, feeling stupid for asking. I stood up. "I'm sorry for asking." I walked out, leaving Mello on the bed. I shut the door to the bathroom, trying to calm myself before I began crying and started changing. A light knock came to the door.

"En. I'm sorry, alright? I'm just stressed. I didn't mean to snap."

I opened the door once I was clothed. "It's fine. I understand." I offered a small smile as I tried to slip past him. He grabbed my arm, pulling me into him. He held me in a firm grasp. I lightly returned the hug, careful not to hurt him.

"…I'm thinking of giving Near a little visit soon. Would you like to go?" He suddenly said.

"Near? A visit?" I looked up at him. "O-of course I'll go."

"Good. I figured you'd like to see him again, anyway." He leaned down, placing his lips to my forehead.

"Whoa, interruption….need us to leave?" Tease joked as she and Matt came back in.

"Yeah, give us five minutes." I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes. She went to the kitchen putting the food away. Matt reached in the bag he carried and pulled out the bandages.

"Ready for a change?" He tossed the box at Mello. He caught it with ease.

"Sure. Let's just do it in here. I'm sick of looking at the damn design in that room."

I chuckled a little, going to the kitchen to help Tease. We put everything away quickly, sitting down at the counter looking out into the living room. We watched in silence as Matt helped Mello some with changing the bandages. Mello glanced up and caught my eye. He instantly looked back down, almost ashamed of something.

"By the way, Matt, your sister and I are going to visit Near soon."

"Near? That's a change. Why is my sister going?"

"She wants to. Besides, I don't need to be going alone, do I?"

"No, but-"

"And if I took Tease with me, one of us wouldn't be coming back. If you went, the girls would be alone and vulnerable. It's the best solution."

"Fine, whatever. But you better watch her closely. I don't want you guys splitting up. If something happened to her…" He trailed off.

"Don't worry. She won't leave my side. I'll make sure of it."

"You know, we're both sitting right here. We can hear every word you both say." I finally said.

"We know." Mello said, smirking a little.

"We just don't care." Matt added, smirking as well. Tease and I shared a look that said 'I hate guys'.

"Whatever. Tease? Will you help me with something in the bathroom?" I asked, walking backward.

"Sure. What is it?" She asked. I waited until we were in the bathroom with the door shut.

"I need supervision while I do this." I began scanning the shelves.

"Do what?"

"You'll see." I finally found what I was looking for when I open the medicine cabinet. When I pulled them out, Tease gasped.

"What are you going to do!"

"You know how people feel like they need a change when they're under stress?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm under stress. Besides, I've been wanting to change for awhile now." I took a strand of hair between my fingers and lifted the scissors.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Tease asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. After this, I want us to go out somewhere and get something done."

"Get what done?"

"…A piercing. My nose."

"Won't Matt disagree?"

"Probably." I finally cut the strand of hair that had been waiting. With a confident smile, I began chopping at the rest. Before long, the floor was covered in locks of chocolate brown hair and my bare shoulders were being tickled by my new hairstyle. I fixed my glasses a little before turning to Tease.

"How do I look?"

"Amazing, actually. I love it!" She helped me dispose my hair cut hair then followed me as we quickly retreated toward to door outside. Mello noticed us first.

"Where are you two- Envy, what did you do to your hair?"

"Cut it. Got to go. Bye!" I rushed the words out. I opened the door, but Matt stopped us.

"Why did you cut your hair?"

"It was time for a change. I felt the need." I smiled sweetly at him. He simply sighed and let me go.

"If you say so. Hey, if you're going out, be careful. There are some creeps out there."

"Yes, Brother! Bye!" We rushed out, walking down to the tattoo and piercing parlor just down the street. Within a matter of minutes I was sitting in a chair, waiting for a girl to come in and give me the stud in my nose. Tease sat to my left while we waited. After about five minutes of waiting, she finally came in and did the deed. She gave me a list of rules of how to take care of piercing so it wouldn't get infected and such. We thanked her, paid, and slowly began walking back.

"So," Tease said, "I've seen the looks you give Mello lately. What's up with you two?"

"Nothing is up with us. And what do you mean by looks? I look at him the same I look at you, or Matt, or Near, whenever I actually see him."

"That's a load of bullshit. Your face softens and you look at him like he's the only one in the room. Are you crushing on him again or something?"

"You're imagining things. My face does not soften, and I do not look at him like that. I'm not crushing on Mello. All of my feelings like that vanished when he left me at Wammy's."

She raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly at me. I was about to question her look when I noticed my mistake.

"Us. When he left us, is what I meant to say."

"Right…so I guess you're still slightly bitter about him leaving all that time ago?"

"I…" I watched the concrete as we walked. I hated how well she knew me sometimes. "I guess I am. I can't help it, though. He just walked right out. I got the courage to finally kiss him and all, and then he just…he just left. It hurt, and the memory still hurts sometimes."

"It may still hurt when you think about it, but take a look at your life right now. You're back with him. Think about it: would it hurt more to still not be with him and continuously wonder about him, or just have the memory of him leaving and being able to see him everyday?"

I stopped walking and stared after as she kept walking. I blinked, looking down at the sidewalk again as her words sunk in. She had a point. It was a much better deal to be able to see him everyday and night then to not know where he was at all.

"Hey, are you coming? It's getting late. The guys might start worrying if we go any slower." She called, finally realizing I stopped. I smiled, jogging up to her and continuing our walk home.

"Hey, Matt, will do me a favor and not freak out?" I called as Tease and I walked inside. I hung my head enough to have my hair cover the right side of my face, including my nose. Mello sat on the couch, chocolate bar in one hand, remote in the other. Tease instantly went off to one of the bedrooms as Matt leaned over the counter to peak into the living room at me.

"Why would I freak? What did you do?" He asked, becoming slightly panicked.

I sat on Mello's right side still keeping my right side away from view. "I kind of went out and got a piercing."

Beside me, Mello began choking on a piece of chocolate. I jerked my head toward him, making sure he was alright. When he stopped coughing, he looked at me. He turned my head and looked at the little silver stud on my right nostril. Matt came from the kitchen and looked at it, too.

"Why?"

"I wanted a change. Besides, it's subtle, anyway. I like it…"

"It actually does look pretty good on you…" He straightened up, taking his goggles off his head. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy, I guess."

We smiled at each other as he walked away, most likely looking for Tease. I turned to Mello, who shifted uncomfortably under my gaze. I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and opened my eyes again. "Hey, Mello?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember the day we found each other?"

"Yeah, I do. Why?"

"I just wanted to thank you for not pushing me away. I didn't realize until just a few minutes ago how happy I am that I get to see you everyday of every week. My life would still be Hell if I had no clue where you were."

He glanced down at me for a second before returning his gaze back to the television. He put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. I laid my head against his bare chest, smiling to myself.

"Just so you know, I'm glad we ran into each other. I'd probably be very lost without you right now." His thumb ran back and forth against my shoulder tenderly.

"I'm glad to hear that, Mel. I honestly am." I put my arm around his waist as he flipped through channels. "So, when do you want to try and see Near?"

"Very soon. As soon as Matt says I can stop wearing these bandages, I'll be ready to go. He has something I need."

"What does he have?"

"A picture of me. I left it Wammy's when I rushed out."

"Shit. We really do need that back. It could cause problems if it managed to leave Near's hands."

"It already has."

I gripped his waist a little a tighter, not wanting to hear those words from his lips. I shook my head lightly, pushing myself a little closer to him. "How are we going to even find him and get him to see us willingly? Seeing you might be throw him off and disagree."

"I have a plan for that. By the way, En?"

"Yeah?" I lifted my head and looked him in the eye.

With a smirk, he asked quietly, "Do you know how to use a gun?"


	11. A Reunion

Chapter Eleven:

A Reunion

The next day Mello was free from the bandaging. I sat in the bedroom with him as he took all of it off his face and torso and looked at himself in the mirror. I watched as he reached up and touched his own face. A look of disgust came across his features as he reached down and touched the scarring on his chest. He growled lightly to himself as he reached his gloves and a jacket. He looked back at me, remembering I was in the room. He looked away from me quickly, turning so I couldn't see the left side of him.

"How can you stand seeing me like this? I look like a disgusting monster." He slipped a vest on as he questioned me.

"Looks don't matter to me. You're still the same Mello that I know and care for." I stood up from one bed and crawled onto the one next to him. "I'll still see you as who you really are, Mel. Believe me."

Ignoring me, he grabbed a long, black jacket and his gun. "Let's go. We have to get there soon." He handed me a small gun to put in my purse. I took it, placing it in there carefully.

We walked out into the living room, overhearing what was on the television. America was no longer opposing Kira. I heard Mello curse under his breath as we walked past. Tease and Matt both shook their heads. As we left the hotel room, Tease was going off about it.

We got in Matt's mustang, Mello driving for the first ride over there. We stayed silent almost the whole time. W eventually pulled up to an apartment complex. Turning the car off, we both got out. I followed Mello up to a door. He gave me the keys as he gave me instructions.

"Stay out here and wait for me to come back out. When I return, you're going to drive us to see Near. Got it?"

I held the keys carefully in my hand, nodding. I watched as he flicked his hood up and quietly broke into the apartment. I leaned against the wall, waiting for him. I reached in my purse and pulled out the gun Mello gave me. I thought back to the conversation we had the other day.

"_Do you know how to use a gun?"_

"_A g-gun? Yes, but I've never used one. Why?"_

"_You'll need one for our little trip, just in case." He looked back at the television while I sat up straight. I took the remote from him and turned the television off. He looked back at me, an amused smirk on his lips. _

"_Just in case? What does that mean?"_

"_It means if I need help, you can at least have a gun to pull out and threaten people with. You having one is basically for show right now." He placed a hand on my cheek. "I want you to carry one with you at all times after I give it to you, though. Understand?"_

_I nodded unwillingly. "Yes, Mello. I understand. I'll carry one for protection _after_ we see Near."_

"_That's my girl." He pinched my cheek lightly, kissed my head, and walked off to the kitchen as I sunk back into the couch._

A few minutes later, he came back out with a platinum blonde woman. He had a gun pressed to her back. She glanced over at me, stealing a look at the gun I still held, when I pushed myself off the brick wall. I put back in my over the shoulder purse and lightly glared at her.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Yeah. Let's go." He said, pushing the woman toward the car. I got in the driver's seat as he put in the seat behind me. He quickly got in the passenger seat as I started the car. Then, we took off.

The woman, Halle, gave me directions to Near's headquarters. It didn't take long to find it. In silence, Mello and I exited the car, pulling Halle out as well. Mello put the gun to her head and told her to take us to Near. He also threatened to shoot her if she tried anything funny. When she glanced at me, I simply avoided her gaze and looked at the ground. She silently complied and took us straight to Near.

When we entered, guns were being pointed at us by two men. Behind them, Near sat in the middle of some kind of circular toy with his back to us. I could see his hand at his head, most likely twirling a piece of his white hair. I smiled a little upon seeing him again. It had been so long.

"Mello, Envy, welcome." He said, still not turning to us.

"Drop your weapon!" One of the men demanded. I glanced at Mello when growled quietly.

When no one moved, Near spoke again. "Everyone, please put away your guns. Having a shoot out here would achieve nothing."

"Sir, with all due respect, Mello is the one who killed all our partners." The guy said.

"Please don't make me say it again." Near turned his head slightly. "Remember that our primary objective is to catch Kira. Killing Mello right now will do nothing to benefit our investigation."

"Mm. Alright." The guy lowered his gun, the other one doing so as well.

Mello put down his gun and removed his hood. "It seems like things have been going just as you planned, Near."

"Yes. I take it you've heard all about the second 'L' by now. I've pretty much figured out who Kira is by now and it's mostly thanks to everything you've done."

"Near-" I started, but I was too late. Mello had already pushed to the point to draw his gun again and point it at Near.

"Shut up, Near!" Mello shouted.

The men put their guns back up toward Mello. I stepped forward, putting a hand on Mello's tensed shoulder. I could only whisper to him. "Please, Mello…"

"I'm just a tool for you to use to solve all your puzzles, you know."

"Mello, if you really want to shoot me, then go ahead and do it."

"Near, don't egg him on, please!" I begged.

Halle finally jumped in front of Mello, putting her hand his gun. "Stop. If you shoot him then the rest of us will have no choice but to shoot you, too. What will it solve if both of you die? That's just what Kira wants."

I watched Mello as he quietly groaned. He finally put his gun down, the men following his actions.

"You have a good point. Anyway, I'm only here for one thing. I came to take back that photograph you have."

"Of course." Near shifted around in his pocket. "I got it from the orphanage, There was only one and no copies have been made. I've already dealt with everyone who knows your face both inside and outside Wammy's House. They'll keep quiet." He threw the card back toward us. I ducked as Mello caught it between his fingers just above his head.

"I can't say a hundred percent for certain, but it should be impossible for you to be killed by the notebook." Near added as Mello flipped the picture over. "…So what business does Envy have with me? I'm sure she has a reason for being here."

Mello looked down at me. "I just wanted to at least see you again. It's been a very long time…" I admitted.

"Indeed it has. When we went our separate ways, didn't you say the next time you saw me you were going to give me a hug?"

I thought back to the last day we saw each other in our dwindling Wammy days. "It seems I did. You have an excellent memory, Cotton Ball." I chuckled.

"Well, do you plan on keeping your word?"

I played with my fingers as I bit my lip and looked up Mello. He finally looked down at me and sighed. He nodded once, and I took off. I pushed past the two men with a big smile on my face. I hugged Near over his train track toy. He smiled back at me as he continued playing with his hair. He reached up with his other hand and took a strand of my own. I stared at him, slightly shocked. I looked back at an annoyed and angry Mello.

"Your hair." Near said. "You've cut it. As well as pierced your nose. When did these changes occur?"

"Just a few days ago, honestly. I got the impulse to change my appearance and went with it. Does it look bad?" I suddenly felt very self conscious about my new look.

"No, it doesn't. In fact, your hair now frames your face even more beautifully. It's like a porcelain doll's."

I giggled lightly, an embarrassed blush warming my cheeks. Near suddenly dropped his hand, and became very serious again.

"Is that the only business you had with me, Mello?"

I looked back as Mello glared at him. "Near. Let's get one thing straight: I have no intention on working with you on this."

"Yes, I know."

"At the same time, I can't just take my photo and leave. That wouldn't be right, so I'll settle my debt."

I stood up as Near glanced back at him, just as curious as I was.

"The killer notebook." Mello said. "It belongs to a Shinigami. Whoever touches it is able to see a god of death."

Near's eyes grew slightly upon hearing this. My jaw dropped a little. I couldn't believe Mello was actually giving Near information!

"That's crazy." One of Near's men said.

"Who the hell would believe in something like that?" The other one asked.

"I would. I believe him completely." Near said. "What good would it do for him to tell an outrageous lie like that? Even if he had something to gain, he could at least come up with a more believable story. Therefore, these gods of death must exist."

"The notebook we obtained previously belonged to another Shinigami. Perhaps even Kira himself. Also, some of the rules written inside are actually fake. That's all I can tell you for now." He motioned for me to come to him once he finished speaking. I ruffled Near's hair as I walked back over to Mello. He put his arm around my shoulders as he turned and began walking away. He stopped just before reaching the door.

"Near."

"Mello."

He pulled a chocolate bar out, snapping a piece off the end before speaking. "Which of us is going to reach Kira first, I wonder?"

"The race is on."

"We're both heading towards the same destination. I'll be waiting for you."

"Heh. Right."

I smirked to myself as we began walking again. The ending conversation to their reunion had a sense of joking in it, I believe. I placed my head on Mello's shoulder as we walked back out to the car.

"I can't believe you two." I said with a smile. "You say you hate each other, that you're rivals, but yet you turn around and gave him information he had yet to obtain. Why did you do that anyway?"

"Payment for my photo. Besides, he was bound to discover it all soon anyhow. He probably already suspected one of the rules to be fake."

"So, you're saying you just gave him an extra push to advance before he it was too late?"

"In a way, yes."

I shook my head with a small laugh. "You two like each other, I just know it."

"Do not. He can like me if he wants, but I'll never like him."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that. Just you wait, I'll get you to like the little lamb eventually."

He chuckled a little, looking down at me. "Little lamb?"

"He's white and short compared to you and Matt. It works."

"Sure it does. Here." He held his gloved hand out to me as we approached the car. "I'll drive us back."

"Are you sure? I can drive if you'd rather." I pulled the keys out of my pocket, placing them in his hand.

"I'm sure. I won't speed this time, either. I promise. I actually want to take my time getting back, anyway."

I slipped in the passenger seat as he got into the driver seat. I felt the smallest hint of a smile on my lips as I watched the blond man start the car. I turned my head to look out the window. At first the ride home was quiet and calm. Mello was doing as he promised and following speed limit. I finally spoke up, breaking the silence with the two words that were floating in my mind.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For letting me see Near. It's been a very long since I've last seen him. I was actually starting to partially worry about him."

"Mm. You're welcome, I guess. I kind of figured seeing him would do you some good anyhow. You guys seemed close when we were younger.

"We were." I smiled to myself. Remembering something, I turned myself to him. "By the way, when Near was complimenting me, why were you getting irritated?"

"I just was."

"There's always a reason behind what we feel…" I mumbled, glancing back out the window.

"…I was getting mad because he was trying to show me or something!" He finally shouted.

I watched him as he clutched the steering wheel tightly, staring straight ahead with a slight glare. "Show you up?"

"Yes! He's always had this weird interest in you and has always tried to make me jealous with it. Every single time he'd see you while I was around, he'd do something to make you smile or giggle or something! It pissed me off then, and it pisses me off now."

"But…why does it get to you so bad?"

"It just does, alright?" He shouted again, this time making me shrink back against the door. In a soft, yet still harsh tone, he said, "I don't need a damn reason for every emotion that I have."

I kept my gaze away from him. I simply stared down at the floorboards. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."

He finally pulled back up to the hotel and parked. The second the car stopped moving, I was out. I didn't get far when I felt a cool leather hand on my wrist. I turned and look up at Mello as he inched closer to me.

"It's not your fault. I've become a little more ill tempered lately, I know that. If I yell at you, I'm just being a little moody. I'm not trying to hurt you in any way."

He placed his other hand on my neck, sending a cold shill down my spine. I looked up at him, as he looked back down at me. His thumb reached up and traced my lips lightly. Breathing was no longer an automatic thing. I had to keep reminding myself that breathing was necessary. I parted my lips lightly as his thumb ran across my bottom lip. I would've sworn he was leaning closer when from behind we hear an old man barking at us.

"Get a room, you hooligans! The public is no place for that kind of that kind of affection!"

I laughed quietly as Mello simply stared at the old man who walked on by, a scowl on his face. I pulled out of Mello's reach, backing up toward our hotel door.

"They're probably wondering where we're at anyway." I said, offering a small smile.

"They can wonder a little longer, then. Let's just sit out here and talk." Mello suggested. I looked back at the door, turning back to Mello with a smile. I walked past him, going toward the car. He followed, getting in the car with me.

We sat there for hours, talking about anything and everything. From what had happened last week all the way back to me and my brother's first day at Wammy's. we spoke of good times, and bad times. We spoke of the days L would visit us in his spare time, the way A and B used to joke around with us, and other things of those sorts. Then, I brought up a subject that I never thought I'd talk about with him.

"You know, I used to have the _biggest_ crush on you when we were younger. That's kinda why I freaked so bad when you left…" I looked down at my shoes as I confessed.

"Really now?" He smirked. "I actually really liked you, too. It really hurt to see you crying like that. I'm glad you got the nerve up to kiss me before I left, though. I thought about it a lot for a long time after that."

"Seriously?" I looked up.

"Yeah. I mean, you were my first kiss and first real crush. Why wouldn't I think about?"

"I don't know…wait, you used present tense. Do you still think about it?" I cautiously asked.

He sighed. "I can't lie to you…I do still think about it some. Don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but that's because I'm a girl. We think about everything we remember. And it doesn't hurt that you were my first kiss and crush, too." I added the end quietly. He placed his hand on mine, causing me to look into his eyes again.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about. I'm not ashamed to admit I think about it at least-"

_Tap, tap, tap, tap. _

We both looked behind me to see Matt staring in on us. Mello quickly retracted his hand back, getting out of the car. I bit my lip to keep from smiling in embarrassment as I, too, got out of the car. My brother placed his goggles on his head as he crossed his arms and stared us down. We leaned against the car, smiling and avoiding his gaze.

"How long have you two been out here?"

Mello checked his watch and counted the hours. "At least three."

"When did you get back?"

"At least three thirty…" I said, holding up three fingers.

He shook his head, looking back over at Mello. "Did you get what you needed?"

"Yeah." He pulled the picture out. "Right here. He gave it up easily."

"Wicked. Now come on inside. Tease and I cooked some dinner." He turned and walked back inside.

"In other words, 'Come inside and choose some take out'…" Mello said sarcastically.

I giggled quietly. "Cut them some slack. I'm sure they made a very good meal."

He scoffed, dismissing the conversation. I smiled and shook my head as we entered. The second the door opened, we were greeted with the wonderful aroma of spaghetti. I nudged Mello in the side lightly.

"Smells really good. Bet it tastes even better."

He gave a small half smile to me. "We'll see. Some things that smell great, can taste awful."

I glided over to the table that had the food sitting on it. I took a seat across from Tease as Matt and Mello joined us. Matt sat next to Tease, naturally, as Mello took the only other available seat next to me. All together, we took our first bites of my brother and Tease's meal. It tasted amazing, to be honest. I smiled triumphantly toward Mello as his shoulders dropped, realizing I was right.

"I wouldn't be smiling like that. You have sauce on your cheek." He picked at the noodles, an amused smile on his lips. I reached for my napkin, wiping away at my cheeks.

"So, what were you guys talking about in the car that had you out there for _three hours_? Three hours…_alone_?" Tease questioned, implying something happened.

"We were talking about you and how you're much an imbecile you can be." Mello said as he took a bite. I covered my mouth trying not to laugh at Tease's priceless insulted face. She instantly glared at the completely unphased Mello, who continued to pick through his noodles. Matt snickered quietly beside her until she glared at him, too.

"You did happen to be a topic at one point, but not the whole time." I looked at Mello. "And we didn't insult you as he said."

"Then what were you talking about?"

"Just the past and everything. Nothing important, really." I went to the kitchen to get a soda as I answered.

"Oh. Well, did you tell him about your old crush on him?" Tease asked loudly, causing me to drop the can I had just grabbed.

I rounded the corner, blushing deeply. "Thank goodness I did or else _you_ would've just told him!" I glanced over at Mello, who seemed to be trying to hide a rosy pink blush on his cheeks.

Tease started laughing alongside Matt. "Sorry!"

I sighed, going to get a new, unshaken soda. I sat back down next to Mello, giving a somewhat uncomfortable smile. Nevertheless, he returned it. Dinner continued on normally after that. Tease and Matt asked how Near was doing, and I told them he seemed to be doing well. I told them about our entire visit, but purposely left out the part of Mello passing along information, figuring he didn't want to tell them…yet, at least. We all eventually finished eating, and Tease and I cleaned up the mess.

We moved into the living room with the boys once we finished cleaning and had changed into our pajamas for the night. They had changed at some point, too, for Matt sat in his Super Mario lounge pants and no shirt while Mello had put on a black tank top and plain gray lounge pants. Matt was playing around on his laptop, one of many electronics and other devices that Mello had packed in the car before the explosions, as we sat down on either side of him on the couch. Mello was staring at the old picture of himself. Feeling a slight sting of sorrow, I went and stood behind the chair he sat in. I looked down at the young boy in the photograph as well.

"…I feel like I don't even recognize that kid anymore." Mello spoke so softly I was the only one to hear him. I pulled the stool up next to his right side and laid my head on his shoulder in comfort. I took his glove free hand in my own.

"Things really have changed since the day that was taken." I spoke as quiet as him.

"Everything has changed. My goals, my appearance…my life. The only thing that's the same is you by my side with those two. You've always been there for me with them. You all are always backing me up…"

I brought his hand up to my face, giving him a light kiss on the top of his hand as some form of comfort. I held his one hand with both of mine gently. I released him when he set the picture down on the coffee table and walked out of the room. Tease and Matt watched him, instantly looking down at me with curious eyes. I shrugged and turned around when he came back in with one of Matt's lighters and an ash tray.

"Mello, what are you doing?" I asked.

"I've got to get rid of this. Mainly because no one else needs even the slimmest chance of being able to get their hands on this again. It's best there is no remaining evidence of our childhood."

We simply watched as he sat back down, lit the lighter and put it toward the picture. Mello set the now burning picture down in the ash tray. Everyone sat in silence as the picture containing the almost last piece of evidence involving Mello's childhood burned right in front of our eyes. A sad air drifted around us. It felt as though Mello was killing his childhood memories. I looked at him as he rested his arms on his knees and kept his head up with his hands. My eyes scanned to Tease and Matt. They held hands as they watched Mello's innocent face burn away. Not knowing what else to do, and not wanting to say anything, I simply laid my hand on Mello's thigh, rubbing my thumb back and forth in a comforting way. I thought back to the picture I had stored away of all of us together back in our Wammy days, when L was still physically with us. If Mello found it, would he make me get rid of it, I wonder?


	12. The Floodgates Are Breaking

Chapter Twelve:

The Floodgates Are Breaking

Mello's Point of View:

I woke early the next morning to one of Matt's rare snoring spells. I tried covering my ears with a pillow, but it did nothing. I tried to simply block it out. That definitely didn't work. After ten minutes, I gave up and threw a pillow at him. He just grumbled some and rolled over with a snore. I sighed, giving in and just getting up. I checked the clock. Only six thirty in the morning. Great.

I walked out in the living room to see Envy on the couch snuggled under a blanket, watching television. She looked up, smiling the second she saw me.

"Hey, good morning." She spoke quietly.

"Yeah, g'morning. Why are you up so early?" I sat next to her, glancing at the television. An old episode of Spongebob was coming on titled "Pizza Delivery". I smiled at her childish choice, and looked back at her as she answered.

"The people next to our room were fighting last night and woke me around one or two and then my insomnia kicked in, so I just stayed up. Haven't been able to sleep again since."

"You and Matt sure are different. You're the lightest sleeper I know while he's one of the heaviest."

"Ha-ha, yeah, that is an easy way to tell us apart in that way, isn't it?" She pulled the blanket over her legs a little more. "Why are you up at this hour, anyway?"

"Your brother's snoring."

"Oh. It's happening again, I guess?"

"Yeah. Maybe we should convince him to stay with Tease tonight. He can bother her with his snores." I joked,. She laughed again, agreeing with my idea. I caught myself smiling at the sound of her laugh. It was like silver bells in my ears. I pulled myself out of my daze when she held the blanket toward me some.

"Are you as cold as me? We can share, if you'd like."

"Yeah, I'm a little cold."

She rearranged, helping place the blanket over the both of us. I paced my arm around her as she began to settle back into place and pulled her against me. She didn't seem to mind since she cuddled right into me. Her head was placed against my shoulder, her arm laid across my stomach and her hand went down to my waist. Before long I found that I had placed my head on her's and was playing with her hair. With my other hand, I gently caressed her arm that lay across me. After a few minutes of doing this, I felt sleep over coming me.

"Envy?" I asked in a little less than a whisper. No response. I tried again with a little more volume. "En?"

Glancing down I watched as her chest slowly rised and fell. She had fallen asleep. Figuring there was nothing to fear, I allowed sleep overtake me as well. The last thing I saw before my eyes shut was Spongebob sitting on a giant rock with a pizza box.

"I think it's kinda cute." I barely heard Tease saying.

"You're not the elder brother of the girl on that couch. Besides, its just plain weird seeing them like that." Matt's voice responded.

I opened my eyes to see the two of them in the kitchen, their backs to me. The weight on my shoulders finally registered, and I remembered that Envy and I were cuddled together before we both fell asleep. I looked down, noticing she was still asleep. I lifted my head, rubbing her arm lightly. She stirred slightly, her grip tightening a little before she relaxed again. I smiled, gently trying to wake her up again. She glanced up at me through one eye. She saw Matt and Tease across the room, but stayed cuddled up to me anyway. We sat silently like that until Matt turned around and laid eyes on us.

"Oh, so you're both awake? It's about time. You've been out for hours."

"How long?" Envy grumbled.

"Well, you were asleep when I got out here, and that was around nine. It's almost ten thirty now."

"Hm. We've been out for awhile then." She mused, slowly positioning herself up. She kept her arm around me.

"So, what are the plans for today, blondie?" Tease asked, hopping onto the counter.

"No plans today. I've been set back a little by certain events." I used a harsh tone while remembering what happened and glared at nothing in particular as they all fell almost deathly silent. Matt shifted uncomfortably at the mention of my accident. Envy cuddled in to me a little more, tenderly rubbing my side in a small up and down motion to comfort me.

"Oh." Tease finally said.

"You can do whatever you want or go where ever you want. I don't care, really." I said quietly, averting my eyes to the television.

"Tease, want to go somewhere?" Matt asked, quickly trying to ease the tension.

She glanced up, a huge smile appearing on her face. She nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I'd love to go somewhere."

He smiled back, craning his head toward Envy and me again. "Sis, wanna go?"

For a slight moment, I felt my heart sink a little thinking she might actually say yes to going with them.

"No, I think I'll just stay here. I don't feel like going out today."

"Suit yourself." Matt said. He and Tease grabbed there coats and left for the day. Envy pushed the blanket off her lap and stood up. She stretched a little, before walking with a skip toward the kitchen.

"Are you hungry, Mel?" She called out.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I talked Matt into buying chocolate chips and we have pancake batter, so I could make some chocolate chip pancakes if you'd like." She leaned over the counter, unknowingly pushing her chest together in the process. It took all I had not to look down. Instead I simply gave a small smile and nodded.

"That would be nice." I moved to watch her over the counter as she hopped around from place to place, preparing to cook. She eventually slowed herself down and stood on the other side of the counter across from me while we waited. She stood with her back to me.

"Your hair does look really nice, you know. It looks right on you."

She glanced back at me, a slightly surprised look crossing her face. It melted away to reveal a shy smile, though. "Really? You like it?"

"Of course I do. Near was right. It does frame your face beautifully."

"…T-thank you. I really appreciate that, coming from you." She smiled a little more before turning around and taking the pancakes off the skillet. She placed two on a plate and handed it to me. She placed a fork by the plate, twirling around and beginning to make her own plate.

We talked and joked a little as we ate. I offered to clean the mess for her while she went off and changed. She came back out in a simple dark red tank top and black jeans while I finished washing the dishes. She hopped onto the counter and slung her legs over the edge as she watched me finish.

"Having fun just watching me?" I asked.

"Yeah. It amuses me." She smiled.

"Well, does this amuse you?" I asked, flicking water on to her. She screamed with a smile and laughed.

"I just changed, you jerk off!" She chuckled again, pushing my arm lightly. I just shrugged with a smile as she leaned against the counter next to me. We both just kind of stopped what we were doing and looked at each other. A small hint of hesitation showed up in her eyes before she spoke again. "Does…does it hurt any?"

"Does what hurt?"

"…Your scar. Does it hurt?"

"Oh. Not really, no. At certain points it does, but that's only when I stretch the wrong way or lay on it wrong."

"Oh." She looked down. "…How far down does it go?"

I looked at her, not sure of how to feel about her question. Instead of telling her, I walked in front of her and took my shirt off. Her eyes slowly raised up to look at my chest. She straightened up, staring at it. I stared at the ground as she walked toward me. I saw her slowly lift her hands, then dropped them back to her sides. I closed my eyes, feeling horrible about myself at that point. I felt her cool fingers barely touch the edge of the scarred skin. I opened my eyes, watching her eyes as she stared. Her fingers ran down and back up my chest. She traced the outer edge of it up my neck and hesitated on going any further. She locked eyes with me.

"Go ahead." I whispered, closing my eyes again.

She reached up, cupping the left side of my face in her hand. She felt the area just beneath the eye and felt all the way back to the edge. She let her hand rest on the side of my face until I opened my eyes. I stared straight into her light blue-gray eyes as she stared back. Her hand never moved. I suddenly felt very nervous.

"So…what, um…what are you thinking about?" I asked quietly.

"Nothing and everything…" She simply said. Her thumb moved back and forth lightly. "This feels so…"

"Disgusting."

"Different. It's no where near disgusting, Mel. Not to me." She held the other side of my face as she continued on. "Do not think down on yourself like that. You're still the same Mello as you were before."

Her words left me utterly speechless. I couldn't say anything else to her. I couldn't _think_ of anything else to say to her. I could only bring her closer to me and just hold her. I kissed the top of her head lightly before walking back into the living room.

"Hey." She called as I began folding the blanket we were previously using. I looked toward her, letting her know I was listening. "What's going to happen when we win?"

"Win the case? Well, assuming we all survive, we lead normal lives."

"Together?"

"Depends on who you're including in 'together'."

"You, Tease, Matt, Near, and me. We're all that's left of our group. We need to stick together, don't we?"

"No. Not with Near. He'd probably be busy trying to become the new L anyhow."

"….So we couldn't see him when we could?"

"How can we even say that all of us will survive? At least one of us is bound to die." I said with complete honesty. I noticed the harsh tone I used toward, and looked back at her. She was staring at the countertop, a hurt look on her face. "I'm sorry, okay? I just don't think we should assume all of us are going to survive and and make plans for the future."

"I understand. Ijust can't think of a normal life without any of you. All of you are the reason I survived both Backup's and Alternative's deaths. You are my best friends in the world. I like to think that we'll find a way to win without any of us dying."

Upon hearing that, I thought back to the very day we heard about Beyond Birthday's death.

_I was playing a video game with Matt while Tease watched us and Near did a puzzle on the other side of Tease. On my side, Envy sat in the floor and watched us while Alternative sat on her knees behind her and French braided her hair. The door to the room was cracked lightly._

"_Hey, did you hear?" A kid said in the hall. "B is dead."_

"_What?" Another voice asked._

"_Yeah, I heard Kira-" _

"_Go to your rooms, you two." Roger said. _

_The game was paused as we all halted our actions and looked at each other. Everyone's eyes grazed over Tease. She turned pale, seeming to freeze in her spot. Everyone stared as Roger cracked the door open to come inand shut it. He avoided eye contact with Tease as he spoke. _

"_Children, I have some devastating news." He took a long pause, seeming to try and find the words he wanted to use. "Backup has passed away while in prison."_

_All was quiet for a moment until Envy asked, "How?"_

"_Well, he seemed to have died of a massive heart attack while-"_

"_Enough." Tease choked out. "We don't need all of the damn details." _

_She was crying. Matt scooted closer, hugging onto her. She instantly sobbed into his shoulder. I looked at Envy and Alternative. Envy let her tears roll out silently. I moved over to hold her as stole a glance at Alternative. She stared at the floor, almost like she was contemplating something. Roger excused himself, leaving us alone to soak in the information we just received. _

"…It would be nice for all of us to survive. There are many things I want to do in my life that require a lot of time."

"Like what?" She asked, tyring to change the topic.

"Like…raise a family, for one. I actually want to have kids one day. But don't tell Tease that. I don't need another thing for her to make fun of me for."

She chuckled. "I won't, I promise. You know, I want a family someday, too. I just want a chance to have children, and give them the normal life Matt and I never got. A life with parents, a life without a world-wide killer, a life that…a life that they will be able to live without worrying about fake identities or any of that."

She smiled down at me as I nodded in agreement. "What happened to your parents anyway?"

"Car wreck. At least that's what we were told. I feel like Kira may have killed my father at the wheel since he was a professional hacker. That's why I'm actually helping in the case."

"Pro hacker, huh? I guess that's where Matt got his interest."

"Yeah. Dad tried to get him interested at a young age, and wound up succeeding." She started walking toward the bedrooms. "I think I'm going to do some laundry. You want to come?"

I grabbed a chocolate bar, biting into it before responding. "I've never been much of a laundry guy, so I'll have to pass."

"Suit yourself." She bounched off, gathering all the clothes in a basket and going off to clean all of our clothes.

Envy stayed down in the laundry room the entire time the clothes were being washed and dried. By the time she got back up to the room, night had already fallen. I sat on the couch, bent over a small book when she opened the door and put the basket of clothes down. She smiled triumphantly at me as she took a seat beside me.

"So did you miss me?" She asked as sweet as can be.

"Yeah. I was dying without you in the same room as me." I smirked at her as she smiled back at me. I stood, going to put my book away, when she stood at the same moment. We stood so close that our chests would've touched if either of us took a deep breath. She looked up at me as I looked down at her. I could have sworn I saw a blush on her cheeks.

"S-sorry…" She stuttered as she backed away from me, going to the kitchen. I smirked to myself, setting my book down on the coffee table. I turned the television off, considering I wasn't watching it and had forgotten it was even on to begin with. She came back out with a glass of water. She took a sip from her glass as she leaned against the wall.

"So, have you thought of anything involving what to do with the case yet?" She set her glass down, watching me.

I lied, shaking my head. I had thought of some stuff, but I wanted to go over it with Matt first. I slowly walked over to her, getting closer and closer to her with each step. I saw her tense a little as the space between us became smaller. I remembered the last time she was against a wall and I was cornering her like this. I reached her, placing one hand on the wall beside her head. I took her chin gently between my index finger and thumb.

"That night I scared you so bad…did I ever apologize?"

"Yes, um…you did…" She watched me carefully, nervously. I pressed my forehead against hers. A blush raised up on to her cheeks.

"I'm apologizing again, then. I'm sorry. I honestly didn't mean to frighten you like that."

"It's alright. I just wasn't sure what you were going to do, and our surroundings didn't help my fear at all and Saiyu was worried about being hurt, so I guess her fear seeped into me some, and-"

"En…you're rambling…" I looked at her still blushing face. She looked adorable, vulnerable. I couldn't stand it. I felt my emotions bubbling up in me. I felt angry at myself for ever being able to threaten such a beautiful and amazing girl. But I also felt a string of emotions with that. The old emotions from Wammy's that I held for her were at the top of the list, then to confusion, desire, need, lust, and something else unfamiliar to me.

"You better find a way to shut me up, then, because I'm likely to just keep talking and talk-"

Her words became muffled as I pressed my lips against hers somewhat roughly. I moved both of my hands to her face as we kissed. I was about to pull away when I finally felt her begin kissing back. Her hands moved to my neck as we kissed. In an instant, my hands were trailing down her torso to her waist. I felt her shudder under my touch. As soon as my hands were on her waist, I pulled her closer to me and pinned her against the wall under me. Her arms wrapped around my neck while I licked her bottom lip. Her lips barely parted, but it was enough for me to push my tongue in. While our tongues played with each other, her leg wrapped around mine. I pulled away for a moment, picking her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist so keep herself from falling.

My pants were suddenly feeling tighter. I bent my head down to kiss her neck. As I trailed up and down her neck, I felt her stiffen at one certain part. With a smirk, I went back to that part of her neck, kissing and nipping at it.

"M-Mello…" She quietly moaned as I continued on and her fingers tangled themselves in my hair. That got me even more excited. I was starting to kiss down her throat toward her chest, but never made it past her collar bone. Her phone was ringing loudly. I lifted my head, staring her in the eye. I slowly let her down. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she grabbed her phone.

"Hello?…Oh, alright. Thank you for telling me…Yes, we're doing just fine…Okay, bye." She shut the phone, turning back to me. Her face was still bright red. "That was Tease. She and Matt are catching a late night movie. They won't be home until 10 or later."

I leaned against the wall, trying to calm myself. "Right. Got it."

"…I think I'm going to shower and maybe go to bed." She said quietly, walking past me. I nodded and watched her until she shut the door to the bathroom.

'_Great. What have I done this time?'_ I thought to myself as I sat in the couch. I had so many emotions had been building up since I met up with her again. They had been growing almost everyday since that point on, too. The floodgates of emotions were breaking. If I wasn't careful, soon they would break all the way and all of my emotions would come pouring out. That could lead to nothing but disaster. I had to play things out carefully, especially if I still had that damn childhood crush on her.

"_Crush? I think you mean love."_My inner voice said.

'_Love? Doubtful. I can't love her. I couldn't love her!…Could I?'_ I looked toward the closed off bathroom that had Envy singing in it. I thought back to what I was feeling just before I began kissing her. Could that have been the unfamiliar emotion I noticed?

**.::~Author's Note~::. **

**I'm sorry that was shorter than the rest of the chapters, but I just could NOT think of anything that could really happen in this chapter. I wanted it to be based simply around Mello and Envy's relationship and Mello's feelings toward her, but…I don't know. I know it isn't the best, but it was decent, right? If any of you have any ideas that you'd like to share, please, go ahead. I'd like try another chapter like this again, and next time, I promise, it will be better! Please review :D**


	13. Relocation

Chapter Thirteen:

Relocation

I woke unusually early the next morning. I woke on my own at five o' clock. How awesome. Finding I was already wide awake, I slipped my house shoes on and went to the mirror to brush my hair out. Behind me I heard Mello stir and wake. I glanced at him in the mirror as he turned the light on, quickly going back to just brushing my hair before we made any kind of eye contact. I stopped brushing when I saw something odd. I put my brush down, leaning closer to the mirror. At first I thought what I saw was a simple bruise on my neck. Then, I remembered what happened the previous night.

Oh, yes. I clearly remembered what happened last night. I relived all of the emotions I felt coming from both of us within the first ten seconds of our lips' embrace. The shock, the self-aimed anger (that was all Mello's emotions right there), the confusion, the want, the _need_, the passion…all of those had been felt just by making contact with his lips. I secretly wanted it again. I wanted to feel his lips on mine again. I wanted to taste his mouth again, that of which had the faint hint of chocolate. Then, of course, things went up a level. I had been held up against the wall with my legs around his waist. I could clearly feel him through his pants when he began sucking at my neck. It was something I had never experienced before, and oddly enough, I wouldn't have been able to picture doing that with anyone else. Why? I don't know for sure. Maybe because Mello had been the only crush I ever had.

"…Did, um…did I do that?" He asked quietly, coming up behind me as I stared at the hickey clearly printed on my neck. I ran my finger over it, nodding my head.

"Yeah. You did." I looked at him through the mirror. I tried to read his expression, but couldn't. It was unreadable.

"Matt will question it."

"I know. I can cover it with make-up. You're in the clear." I faintly smiled as he looked at me in the mirror as well.

He just barely smiled back. "Good…" He started to turn away, but looked back at me. "By the way, we're leaving today. You and me."

"Leaving? To where?" I turned to look at him instead of his reflection.

"Japan. I'll explain everything involving why we're going there when we're on the plane. But for now, I'll only tell you that Matt and Tease will be staying here for another complete day, then join us in our hotel tomorrow afternoon. Matt's rigged his DS some special way so he can turn off the metal dectors when we go through. That way we can still carry our guns on us."

"We?"

"You said that you would carry one with you at all times after we saw Near, remember? I'd apperciate it if you would follow through on your word." He got under his bed, pulling a suit case out. He began packing as he continued talking. "Anyway, Matt will take us to the airport and 'see us off', meaning he'll discreetly follow us through the crowd and wait until its our turn at the detectors. Once one of us is up, he'll deactivate them and we should get through without any problems. It should be smooth sailing from there on out."

I got my suitcase out, following his actions and packing, too. "God bless my technology gifted brother."

"Amen." Mello mumbled, earning a small laugh from me. Then, ruining the friendly air, impulse hit. "So, last night, what caused you to kiss me?"

He looked up at me, stared for a second, then looked back down and continued packing. "I-I don't know. I guess I was just going on a rush of emotions or something."

I smiled at the familiar phrase. I smiled a little more cheekily, continuing my packing as well. "It's never smart to go on just a rush of emotions…"

He looked up. "Don't go using my words, now." He pretended to threaten.

"You started it…" I stuck my tongue out at him, then smiled as I continued packing.

"Also, I did it because you told me to shut you up somehow. I did the first thing that came to mind." He said, refusing to look up. I decided I wouldn't argue with that excuse, and kept packing.

I purposely left out an outfit and my make-up so I could look presentable in public. I changed as fast as I could while Mello was out of the room. I had just slipped my shirt on when he came back in the room. He gave me an odd look while I smiled in victory. I began applying my make-up as he changed behind me. Once I had my face done, I decided I should cover up the hickey.

"Hey, Mello? Could you come hold my hair out of the way while I cover this?"

He finished zipping his suitcase and came over to me. He stood behind me, brushed my hair behind my ear, and held the majority of it out of my way. I carefully got a good amount of cover up and began putting it on. He watched my reflection in the mirror as I evened out the color of the piled on make-up to my skin tone. After a minute of working, I finally had it covered. He let my waved hair cascade back down around my shoulders. I fluffed is some, looking back in the mirror.

"Alright…can you see it at all?" I asked him, turning to face him. He studied my neck, even coming closer and moving my hair some to look. I felt my breath catch in my throat. He pulled back, but kept his hand resting gently on my neck.

"No. I can't see it at all. It's like it never happened."

"But we both know all too well that it did…" I mumbled quietly.

"…Even so-" His voice cracked slightly as he grew nervous, getting a small laugh from me. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Even so, we have to act like it didn't. While we're around them, at least."

"Understood."

He acted like he was about to say something when the door opened. We both looked over toward Matt, who only poked his head in. "You guys ready?"

We both nodded, grabbing our suitcases. I quickly put make up bag in and rushed to catch up with them. When I asked where Tease was, Matt informed us she was still sleeping, so he left her be. Apparently, a simple note saying where all of us were was good enough.

The ride to the airport was…interesting. I was stuck up front with Matt, worrying the entire time about if he was going to be able to see right through my make-up or not. He talked about what Mello and I should do in Japan while we waited for him and Tease to arrive. We both just played it off until he said something about us sleeping together.

"Repeat, please!" I demanded rather than asked, freaking out on the inside.

"It was a joke, sis. I told you not to get drunk or something stupid like that and sleep with him. Calm down." He lit a cigarette as I let out a breath.

I looked around, noticing he had just parked. My brother grabbed his rigged DS, popped the trunk open, and helped us with our luggage. We walked silently toward the building, Mello and I slowly separating ourselves from Matt. When a man bumped into me by accident, I got to Mello's side quickly, taking his hand in mine so _we _wouldn't get separated ourselves by accident. He changed our hands from just a simple cup hold to his leathered fingers intertwined with mine. I felt myself smiling as we walked toward the airport.

We were finally standing in line to go through the metal detector. I scanned the room quickly, spotting Matt about thirty feet away against a wall, staring intently at the device in his gloved hands. I looked ahead again to make sure no unnecessary attention was drawn to him while he worked. Mello squeezed my hand lightly, causing me to look up at him.

"Do you have what we talked about? What you promised to carry?"

I searched my memory. I bit the inside of my cheek nervously. "Um…no…I forgot it in the dresser drawer…"

He sighed lightly. "I'll get Matt or Tease to pack it when they start to come."

He was signaled forward by the security guard. His hand left mine as he followed her instructions and went through. No alarms went off. As he collected his stuff, I was signaled forward, too. I did just as Mello did, then walked through the archway myself. No alarms went off with me either. I sliently thanked Matt, watching as he glanced up at us, giving a small salute, and walking off. I let out a breath, returning to Mello's side. In an instant he took my hand again. I didn't object as we walked through the crowd and to the plane.

Once we boarded, we quickly took our seats. Before I could ask for the window seat, Mello offered it to me. I smiled happily at him as I took the seat. He plopped down in the seat next to me. We remained quiet as the as plane took off. I watched, slightly intrigued, as the ground shrank away from us. We had only been in the air for thirty minutes, when a little boy was heard saying that he needed to 'make potty.' I looked up for a second with a smile at the sound of the boy's voice. I went back to watching the clouds when I heard him again.

"Mommy, what's wrong with his face?"

I jerked my head around to him pointing at Mello, a curious and confused look on his face. His mother picked him up, telling him that wasn't a nice thing to say and apologized to Mello. I watched as they walked off and Mello threw his hood up and glared at the seat in front of him with clenched fists. I pulled a knee up to my chest, resting my head on it. I finally found my voice and spoke up to him.

"He's probably never seen a burn before, Mel." He scoffed, refusing to look up. "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."

"And why not?"

"Because there are girls out there that get turned on by facial scars or burns. They think a guy is sexier with it." I looked back out at the clouds.

"How would you know?"

"…I'm one of those girls." I kept my gaze trained on the sky as I felt his eyes burning into the back of my head. I knew if I looked at him, the blush I was wearing would only brighten.

"Really now?" He asked. I didn't have to even look at him to know he was smirking. I could _hear it_ in his voice.

"Y-yeah. Really."

He chuckled lightly to himself, dismissing the conversation after that.

After hours of sleeping and waking multiple times and many pointless conversations, we were finally landing in Japan. I looked out the window as we landed, utterly ecstatic to be in a foreign land. Once we had landed and pilot gave permission to exit, we were walking through the Japanese airport in search of our stuff. Mello kept his hood up and slipped on a pair of sunglasses. I only put my hood up, and that was just look cool. Mello had thrown an arm over my shoulder as we walked. When he suddenly stopped, I was jerked back with him. He pulled a chocolate bar out from his jacket as he watched a television. I followed his gaze and watched as a building burned.

I just barely overheard a man's voice saying, "Hello Kira supporters! I urge you, do not rush the building all at once!"

I tuned out for a brief moment hearing the word 'Kira'. I clenched my jaw and continued listening as the guy said he was Kira's spokesperson and that we must listen to him. I looked closer at the building as they showed the angry mob beating the building. I clenched Mello's leather shirt as the realiztion hit me.

"Near…that's Near's building, Mel! They've found him and are attacking him!"

"Don't worry. Near's always one step ahead…always." He held me closer to him as we both continued watching. Nothing happened. The mob continued to go after the building. I was growing more and more worried with each passing second. Out of nowhere, money began falling from the sky, sending the crowd into a chaotic mess to grab as much as they could. We watched as the police came piling out of the building. We waited two minutes longer, but never once heard anything of Near. Mello huffed, pulling me along with him to get our stuff. As we were getting our suitcases off the belt, my phone began ringing. It was a strange number that I didn't know. I answered it anyway, not thinking anything wrong with it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Envy. Did you happen to see the news report?"

I gasped at the sound of Near's voice. Mello gave me an odd look as I began gushing. "Where are you? Are you alright? You're not hurt or anything, are you? What's going on, please, tell me?"

"Calm down, Envy. I am fine. I've already called Matt and told him everything, so now I'm calling you to inform you and Mello as well. I had just told the Second L, otherwise known as Light Yagami, that I suspected him of being Kira, just as our L had. When I get in touch with him again later this afternoon, I'm going to point out that it is an awfully large coincidence that I begin suspecting him of being Kira and then get targeted by his followers. I plan on telling the others that Yagami is currently working with to begin suspecting someone on their team of being the killer, if they haven't already, that is."

"Damn…I hope they take your side in all of that and begin to doubt Light. It's obvious who he really is if you look at the big picture…"

"Indeed it is. Especially after today's events."

"Yeah…"

"Well, I must go. Hal is tapping her foot rather impatiently while waiting for me. Please, pass on the news to Mello for me when you get the chance. I'll get back in touch with you when I can."

"Yes, Near. Goodbye." I pulled the phone away, hanging up and turning to an annoyed Mello.

"I guess the twit is alright?" He asked, walking off with his suitcase. I pulled mine along as I caught up to him.

"He is, in fact. I'll tell you all that he told me when we're in the safety of the hotel. I don't trust talking about it out here, in the heart of where it all began."

He nodded, understanding my decision. We went to the streets, Mello calling a cab for us without a moment's hesitation. We put our stuff in the trunk, got in the back, and told the driver where to go. On our way, Mello told me that our alias for the hotel would be that he and I were a married couple, as well as Matt and Tease. We were vacationing together in Japan. Our last name would be Rockwell, while Matt and Tease would be known as the Sanders. I nodded once, watching everything pass us. We finally came up to a beautiful hotel. Mello paid the driver, getting our luggage from the trunk and going in the building.

The front office of the hotel was an astonishing color of white with accents of gold. Even the marble counter tops were white with gold mixed in. It took my breath away. Mello grabbed my hand as we neared the counter, a cute young adult turning around to face us. She had a huge smile on her face as she greeted us. To my amazement, she spoke English to us.

"Hello, how may I help you today?"

"Reservation under Rockwell." Mello said, shifting around in his pocket for his wallet.

The girl typed at a computer, smiling even more when our names popped up.

"Ah, here you are. May I ask where the other couple is?"

"They'll be here a little late, unfortunately." I said, smiling back at her. "They misheard the date. They should be here tomorrow afternoon, though. Is that alright?"

She nodded happily, handing a key to us. "Enjoy your stay!" She called as we walked off. We got in the elevator, waiting for the door to close. The second it shut I shook my head.

"She was a little too happy…"

"Yeah. I guess that's just normal for people who work at nice hotels like this." he brought another chocolate bar out, taking a bite from it as we reached the second floor. We walked down the white hallway, arriving at our room. Mello opened the door, letting me on first. When I heard the door click shut, I began telling him about Near's call.

"So, Near said he was alright, obviously, and that he planned on telling Light's team to begin suspecting that someone among them was Kira if they hadn't already."

"Why is he going to be straight forward like that?" He followed me to the bedrooms, pushing his suitcase next to the dresser.

"He's giving Yagami a fright, I suppose He already told him that he knew he wasn't L like he claimed to be when they first spoke. He also told him that he, too, suspected him of being Kira and then just shortly after he was targeted by Kira's loyal subjects. That was not a coincidence and Near is going to let Light know that."

"Hm." He began putting things while I sat on the large king size bed.

"So, I'm still clueless about why we're here. Whats's the point?"

"Misa Amane." He straightened up and leaned against the dresser. "She's been rumored to be the Second Kira and we need to watch her for any suspicious activity. Besides, she's got some kind of connection to Yagami. If we can spy on her enough, we just might get the proof we need to prove that Light Yagami is Kira. Then…then L will be avenged and this madness will be over for good."

"Alright, I get that. You and Matt have the technology stuff down, but what do Tease and I have to do during this period of time?"

"You two are going to have to befriend her so we can bug her place and keep a constant eye over her. Then, the times she won't be home, one of you two could most likely be with her and we could have a better chance at our goal."

"Ok, I'm game for that. But, isn't Amane a pop star or something?" I got in suitcase, pulling my laptop out and booting it up.

"She used to be. Since the Kira case started, her fame has dwindled considering she slowed down on her music and television appearances. I'm sure people still ask for her autograph some, though."

Once the laptop had turned on, I opened Internet Explorer, and searched Misa Amane. I readjusted my glasses as I typed and skimmed over her biographies and fan made websites. I clicked on one that looked very promising. A picture of the blonde pop star showed up, as well as current information on her. I noticed Mello watching me from the corner of my eye. Ignoring the urge to look at him, I read the small paragraph of information. One sentence caught my eye.

"Misa Amane is currently dating a young man by the name of Light Yagami. They have been dating for a few years, apparently." I said, reading some more. "It says here that in one of her last interviews she was just waiting for him to ask for her hand. That interview was over a year ago…" Part of my bangs fell in my face as I scrolled down, searching for more info on the girl. Nothing more of her connection to Light was mentioned. I couldn't even find a picture of the two together. I was instantly determined to find at least one snap shot of the two.

"You and Matt are way too alike." Mello said I was scanned links.

"What do you mean?"

"You both get the same determined look when you focus on something. I have to say, it looks cuter on you, though." I typed lightly, only sparing him an amused glanced.

"Thanks?" I asked, typing a little harder as I got more frustrated.

"No problem." He removed his jacket, sunglasses, and shirt as he laid on the bed. I grabbed the laptop, rushing to his side when I found a picture of two at a diner.

"Could this be proof they're together? It looks like it was taken a few years ago, but…"

"Maybe. Save it. We'll have Matt check it out and search for the date that was taken when he gets here."

"Righteous." I smirked, saving both the photo and link to my computer. I turned it off for the night, noticing it was already eleven at night. "Looks like we can't do anything Matt suggested. What a shame." I said sarcastically. I got up, unpacking the rest of my stuff as well. I heard Mello get up and come over to the dresser. He took his boots off, grabbed a pair of lounge pants, and began changing behind me. I finished putting things away, grabbing my own pair of pajamas as well. I went to the bathroom, changing into the large shirt of Matt's that I kind of stole and pair of _very _short shorts. I looked down, noticing the shirt covered the shorts. I sighed a little, going back out anyway. Mello had already pulled the sheets loose and was getting ready to lay down when he saw me. He watched as I put my clothes away and came over to the bed.

"Are you just going to stare?" I asked with a small laugh.

"No. Who said I was staring anyway?" He laid down, barely pulling the blanket over him. I took my necklace off, setting it on the table next to me. Before taking my glasses off, I noticed something.

"You still have your rosary on, Mel."

He glanced down, shrugging. I tucked my hair behind my ear as I got closer to him. He propped himself up on his elbows as I reached for his rosary. I brought it up over his head, leaned across him, and placed it on his own little table. I moved back down to my spot, taking my thick glasses off and setting them aside. I turned the light out as I laid down.

"Hey, En." He shifted in the darkness, pulling me against him. "Goodnight." He whispered in my ear, his lips brushed my cheek, getting dangerously close to my lips. Just as I thought he was going to kiss me, he pulled back.

I laid my head on his bare chest. My right hand absently reached up, touching the scarred part of his torso. He shivered slightly at my cold fingers. I whispered my thoughts out to him. "I've missed laying like this…"

"…I have, too…"

"It's the only time I've really felt safe, honestly…the only time I can get a full night's rest."

"Same here…hey, do me a favor?"

"What?"

He stayed silent for a very long time, only reaching up to play with my hair. I felt my eyes drooping when he finally whispered back. "…Don't leave me…"

"I promise that I won't leave you, Mello, as long as you promise me the same thing."

"I swear that I won't leave you again."

I felt one of his hands rest around my middle while his other hand rested on my hand that lay atop his chest. His lips were felt against my head for a second. I smiled lightly, kissing his chest lightly as sleep crept up on me.

"Goodnight, Mello…" The words escaped my lips as I fell into a deep, deep sleep, not waking once until my body felt it necessary when the morning came.


	14. Spies

Chapter Fourteen:

Spies 

Around eight in the morning, Mello received a call from Matt confirming their arrival in Japan. In a matter of thirty minutes from the confirmation call, my brother and best girl friend ever were in the hotel room with us. After Matt had unpacked, I briefed him on the small amount of info I had gathered on our subject the previous night. I pulled the picture up for him, giving him full access to my laptop to try and find the source. I glanced at Mello, who was going through his wallet on the other side of the room. I turned to Tease, telling her our roles in spying on Misa. I got the exact reaction I expected from her.

"Befriend her? Are you insane? She looks like a complete moron!"

"Moron or not, we have to gain her trust. It's all for the case, remember?"

"So? I'm not going to be her friend just for this." She stuck her tongue out.

"Even if it means you get to go on a huge shopping spree, buying whatever clothing you want?" Mello asked, continuing to go through his wallet.

Tease paused for a moment, thinking. "Fine. I'll do it. But, I'm not responsible for any injuries Amane may obtain."

Beside me, Matt gave an annoyed sigh, closing the laptop. "Untraceable. Whoever leaked that photo onto the web made sure no one could find them in return. It looked pretty fixed up to me, anyway."

"No matter." Mello crossed over to us, taking a seat on the wooden coffee table in front me. "We'll be finding out about her connection to Yagami soon enough. But before we can do that, you two need a 'Misa make-over'."

"Misa make-over?" Tease asked, looking at him like he was the biggest idiot she'd ever laid eyes on.

"Yeah. He means that we need to dress according to her taste so we can draw her in." I explained for him since he had already told me. "I looked her up some more this morning while we were eating breakfast. You're already halfway set to her standards, but I'm not. Hence why we're going shopping today."

"Oh, alright. And can I ask what you mean by I'm halfway there?"

"She can dress kind of skimpy at times, and the way you show off your legs is her style, so…" I trailed off, trying to not insult her.

"That's only because they're just so sexy!" She laughed, lifting one of her legs up. I smiled a little, pushing her leg back down.

"By the way, boys, will you be joining us this afternoon? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want us shopping by ourselves."

"I'm staying here. I still need to unpack and all that jazz." Matt said, pulling his goggles down around his neck.

"You know what Amane likes better than the two of us. You two should go alone." Mello said, handing his wallet to me and walking toward the kitchen. I followed him, shutting the swinging door as I watched him dig in the cabinets.

"What if we need a guy's opinion on what's sexy enough to wear? I mean, you looked at the pictures with me. She favors revealing clothing most times. I'm not used to that kind of clothing."

He grabbed a chocolate bar and came closer to me. "You'll know what to pick out. I know you will. I can even judge the outfits tonight if you really want an opinion." He played with my hair as he bit off a chunk of chocolate. Before he could push the rest in his mouth, I leaned up and grabbed hold of the other end, biting a small piece of my own off. His fingers that held my hair stopped moving and he looked at me like I had just sexually harassed him in some way.

"In your wildest dreams, Mel." I whispered after the chocolate had melt away in my mouth. I moved past him, his wallet still in my hands, and went back out to the living room. Mello was quickly on my heels. I opened the door as he put an arm around me. We both stopped short, though, when we saw Matt leaning in toward Tease, both of them with their eyes closed. I backed into Mello, causing him to take in a sudden sharp breath due to the area I just hit, and pushed us both quickly and quietly back into the kitchen.

I pressed myself against the wall, a half smile on my lips. Mello was leaning against the counter, looking between me and the door.

"You saw that, right?" I asked.

"Yeah. Tease and your bro. They were about to kiss…" He took another bite of his chocolate bar. "Can't say I didn't see that coming, though."

"True, but it's still shocking."

"I'm sure they'd be saying the same thing about us if they found out about what happened two nights ago…" He kept his gaze focused on the ground.

"Right…what happened…" I brought a hand up to my neck, feeling the spot he had left his mark on. I watched him as he continued watching the floor. His seemed to be focusing on something. He abruptly looked up at me and launched himself off the counter and leaned next to me.

"Do you want me to apologize for that night?" He asked, not making eye contact. I opened my mouth to answer when he spoke again. "Because I'm not."

"…Wha-?" I stared at him, feeling nothing but shock at his sudden attitude change.

"I'm not sorry that I kissed you. I'm not sorry that I left a hickey on your neck. I'm not sorry for that night at all."

"…I didn't want you to be." Now it was my turn to watch the ground while he stared at me. "I'm a little ashamed and embarrassed to admit this, but I experienced feelings that I've never felt before and I…I kinda liked it….but, we don't have time for any of that during this period of time. Once all of this over, we can talk about it. Until then, I think we should just ignore it and pretend it never happened."

I didn't even look at him as I walked out into the living room. Matt was no where to be seen. Tease had a dumb looking smile on her face when I saw her. She looked up me, quickly waving me over to her. I followed her silent command, sitting next to her. She pulled me a little closer.

"So," She pondered quietly, "How upset would you be if I started flirting with Matt a little more and such?"

"Upset? Try gleeful. You two are a match made in Heaven. Go for it, babe!" I smiled at her. Her face lit up as she hugged me quickly.

She let me go and pulled back. "You ready to go shopping?"

"Yeah, let's go." I started to get up when she stopped me.

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That, on your neck. It looks like a bruise or a…oh!" She gasped. I covered her mouth quickly, feeling a smile spread across her face.

"Say nothing while I explain, got it?" She nodded, I slowly moved my hands, checking behind me for Matt. "While you guys were gone about two nights ago, something happened. I don't know how, I don't know why, but it happened and Mello and I kind of made out a little…then you called to say you guys were going to catch a movie, and everything became awkward."

"Oh…that is so cool! Are you guys going to get together now, then?"

"No. Highly doubtful." I stood up. "Now, let's get going before the crowds get too chaotic."

"Gotcha!" She jumped up as I grabbed Matt's keys from the coffee table.

"Big Brother, Mello, we're leaving. Call us if you need us!" I called out, getting no answer from either boy. I rolled my eyes, following Tease out.

We shopped for _hours_. We found cute outfits, sexy outfits, dumb yet fashionable outfits, and few other things that we figured we could use. Such as a 'professional' make-up set, and some wigs. Okay, the wigs were just to be stupid since there was one with Mello's exact color and hairstyle with some others that could be used for disguises. Once we got back, the guys helped up unload the trunk and go through the bags to separate the clothes. Matt and Mello handled one half of the bags, while Tease and I got the others. After twenty minutes of sorting, Tease finally had all of her clothes put together, and I had all of mine stacked off.

"By the way," Matt said, going to his bedroom, "While you two were gone, I made something that will help us out some while you guys are physically with Misa."

He handed me a pair of glasses very similar to my own. They were more squared off, and a little bigger. They looked the black plastic version of Steve Urkel's glasses. Don't get me wrong, they looked awesome and I liked them, but that's just what they looked like.

"Those glasses have a small hidden camera on the bridge. You turn it on right here," he pressed an invisible button on the inside of one of the legs, "and then you're rolling."

"Sweet. You have it set up already, right?" I asked, feeling the side of my new glasses.

"Yep." He opened his laptop, typed some, and turned the screen to me. It was definitely working. I took the glasses off and pointed them toward Mello, who was sitting quietly in the floor. I smiled at my brother's little gift to me.

"As for you, Tease." he said, rushing back to their room and coming straight back out with a gorgeous chocker necklace. There was a large ruby heart pendant hanging off the black velvet cloth. He went behind her and placed it around her throat as she held her hair out of the way. Once he got it clipped, he went back to his seat. "You get that. Your's doesn't have a power button. I couldn't think of a way to get it on there without it being noticeable, so when you start to leave to be with her, I'll have to turn it on manually from the laptop."

"It's beautiful, Matt." She said almost dreamily. I chuckled at her, turning back to Matt. "How will you hear what's being said? You can obviously see, so you could try and read lips, but that isn't very reliable."

"Exactly. Which is why your cameras also have small microphones worked into them."

"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" I asked as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, not everything. I have no clue where she is currently living or her daily schedule, if she has one."

"That's where I come in." Mello said, straightening up. "I booked this hotel for a reason. Her apartment is just down the street from her. I also managed to find her schedule for today. She's going to be shopping at this center in an hour." He pulled a piece of paper out, setting it in front of me and Tease. We silently read the address to ourselves, looking at each other once we knew it.

"I guess we should start getting ready, then." I said, standing up. I took the camera glasses off, grabbed on outfit from my pile in the floor, and made my way to the bathroom changing. I had grabbed a low cut lime green tank top, and black skirt that went down mid thigh on me. I fixed my make-up lightly, and walked back out. Tease went the second I came out. I grabbed the glasses off the table and slipped them back on. I sat down next to Mello, fishing through the clothes until I found the leather jacket I had purchased. I also snatched up a pair of black bass guitar earrings and slipped them in my ears. I looked through the bags, searching for a pair of small black heels I had bought. I finally found them, slipping them on. I finally sat the couch again.

"I feel like a whore…" I mumbled, not used to showing so much of my incredibly pale skin.

"You're not a whore, Sis." Matt said, plugging his DS charger into the wall. "You're an expensive whore."

"…Thanks, Brother! That makes me feel so much better about myself!" I said with obviously fake enthusiasm. "Oh, speaking of expensive…" I got up, going through my purse. I took Mello's wallet out, tossing it in his lap.

"Thanks." He said, trying not to look at my legs.

"Your welcome. I promise I'll pay you back somehow soon." I sat back down, looking up as Tease came out.

She wore a plain black top and a hot pink and black plaid skirt. She slipped on a pair of heels that looked like a sandal. She still wore her necklace proudly. Matt gathered some microphones and cameras while we continued dolling ourselves up. He laid them on the table, Mello instantly going through them.

"While you guys are out distracting Misa, we're going to sneak into her place and bug it. When we're finished and everything is safe and working, I'll call Tease." He turned to her. "When I call you, you need to act like I'm a relative and that there's been an accident, giving you both a clean reason to escape from her and come back here. Got it?"

She nodded, checking her phone as she always did. He looked over at me. "Be careful, alright? I saw her walking down the street with a man. She could have people watching her from every corner."

I nodded slightly. Matt tossed his keys at me. "You have to drive yourself down to the shopping center. If we're seen with you two, we could be stalked right back here and things would fall apart before they're even really begun."

"Got it. We'll be awaiting your call." I said, grabbing my purse and leaving with Tease.

"We can't use our real names with her. Or current aliases, for that matter." Tease said as we got in the car.

"That's true…I guess we have to think of fake names for her."

"We don't have to tell her any last names right now unless she asks for them."

"Right. So, what will you go by?"

"I'm not sure yet. What will you go by?"

"Hmm…" I pulled up to a red light. "I think I'll go by Alex. I've always wanted a boy name, and I don't really know why.

"Nice. I think I'll go by Lynn. How does that sound?"

"That's awesome! I like it." The light turned green and I began driving again. It took us another five minutes to find the right shopping center. We found a parking spot, jumped into the crowd, and began searching for Misa Amane. We saw her inside Claire's store, looking at the earrings right at the entrance with a tall man that looked very bored and very uncomfortable.

"How are we going to get her to notice us? It'll be suspicious if we talk to her first…" I thought aloud.

"I've got it!" Tease said. "Follow my lead." She began walking, and I jogged slightly to catch up to her. As we passed the entrance, Tease began looking through my purse, pulling her cell phone out and 'accidentally' dropped some of our loose money on the ground. She gave me a look that told me to keep walking, so I did.

"Hey, excuse me, girls! You dropped your money!" A high pitched female voice called. We both turned at the same time, seeing Misa and holding the money out toward us. I pretended to be confused and shifted through my purse. We walked up to her.

"Oh my gosh, thank you! I don't know what I would've done if I had lost this." Tease said talking the money, and putting it back in my purse. I gasped in fake shock.

"I'm sorry, but are you Misa-Misa Amane?"

She blinked a few times before showing a prideful smile. "Why, yes I am!"

"I was wondering why she looked so familiar!" Tease 'gawked'. "Wait until the boys hear about this. We actually met _the _Misa Amane!"

I nodded, before turning back to Misa. "Ms. Amane, I hope you don't mind my saying, but I love your sense of style. It's so cute and unique." I looked her up and down, taking note that she really did have a good taste.

"Aw, thank you." She giggled. "So what are your names? I like to know the names of my fans."

"I'm Lynn." Tease said, forcing a sweet smile as she shook hands with Misa.

"I'm Alex." I extended my hand as well, smiling a little more when she shook it.

"You two obviously already know me." She said then pointed to the man behind her. "This Mochichi."

He stepped around her, holding his hand out. "Mogi." He said under his breath. Tease and I both shook his hand, nodding politely.

"You know, you two actually have cute senses of style yourselves. I just love your necklace, Lynn. And Alex, those glasses are so chic!" Misa cooed, pulling out a pen and a piece of paper. "Maybe we can get together for lunch or something this week. I'll give you my number, and you guys can give me yours, alright?" She scribbled a number down as Mogi leaned down to her.

"Um, Misa, are you sure that's a smart move? They seem like nice girls, but you literally just met them."

"Oh, calm down, Mochichi! I know what I'm doing!" She ripped the number off the paper and passed it to us. Tease took it, folded it and placed it in my purse. She handed the pen and pad to us, each of us writing down our cell phone numbers under our code names and handing it back to her. She smiled happily, getting ready to say something, when we heard a cell phone ring. I dug through my purse, pulling Tease's phone out. The caller I.D. said 'Blondie', which I assumed was Mello. I handed the phone over to her, saying it was her brother.

"Hello?…Bro, what's wrong?…Are you serious? Oh, God, ok. I'll be there in just a few minutes. Do not open the door!" she snapped the phone shut, turning to me. "There's been a small accident. We have to go, now."

I nodded, turning to Misa. "Call us whenever you're free and we can get some lunch. Goodbye!" I said as we ran out of the shopping center. We got in the car, speeding back to the hotel. We rushed back up to the room, having to knock on the door since we forgot our key card. Matt peeked the door open.

"What's the password?"

"Move your ass." I said.

He copied the sound of a buzzer. "Eeeeh! Wrong! Please try again."

"Move your ass now before one my heels gets jabbed into your head."

"Still wrong~" He sang.

"Mattie," Tease whined, "Please let us in."

He opened the door all the way, letting Tease pass easily. We mock glared at each other as I walked past him. I fell onto the couch next to Mello, slipping the heels off. I leaned into him, closing my eyes. He felt very tense, but soon loosened up and slowly placed his arm around me. I reached up, holding his gloved hand in mine. I felt eyes on me, so I opened them and caught Tease staring. She gave a knowing smile and looked away. I rolled my eyes with an amused smirk, and turned my head into him more.

"Now what?" Tease asked.

"We wait for her to return home." Matt said.

.::/Later That Night, around 11 P.M.\\::.

We had all changed into our pajamas and were starting to get tired, when Misa finally returned home. Matt instantly jolted up, getting all of our attention.

"She's back." He announced. I hopped up, standing behind him and watched. She stumbled in with Mogi right behind her carrying her jacket and purse. He shut the door as she fell onto the couch laughing. She spoke, but her words were quiet. Even when she returned to normal volume with her voice, her words were so slurred that she sounded like she was trying to speak some unknown ancient language. I groaned, leaning my head on the back of the chair. "Gah, she's drunk…"

"I wonder if that's a regular thing with her? If she and Yagami truly are a serious thing, then he's not with her often, and that could put a lot of stress on her. Enough to drink herself into a coma." Matt pondered more to himself than anyone else in the room.

On the screen, Misa began lifting her shirt. Before she could get very far, Mogi stopped her and pushed her to her room. Matt switched cameras to get a look on what she was up to. I smacked the back of his head, thinking he was a pervert.

"She could be the second Kira. I'm just seeing if it's all act or not!" He argued, looking back at the screen. We both watched as she simply fell on her bed, keeping all of her clothes on, including the sunglasses that sat on her face. Matt and I both sighed quietly.

"I guess that's all we're getting out of her tonight…" I said, stretching slightly. With a yawn, I said goodnight to three people in the room with me and went off to the bedroom. I slipped under the covers after taking my glasses off and cuddled into the warm sheets.

The next thing I was aware of was the door opening and Mello coming in. I groaned lightly, just barely upset that I had been disturbed. His silhouette came closer to the bed.

"Did I wake you?" He whispered as he got in the bed.

"Yes, but it's not that hard to do." I rolled onto my back as he rolled onto his side. I looked at him as he looked at me in the darkness. I looked back up at the ceiling to try and sleep again.

"Well, as long as you're up…goodnight, En." He said quietly, leaning over, pecking me on the cheek. He barely pulled away when I looked over at him. He paused in moving back to his spot. He was still close enough that the tips of our noses were touching. I smelled the chocolate on his breath. It was pulling me in dangerously close. Before I could myself, I had gently placed my lips on top of his. I pulled away, slightly embarrassed that I didn't have any better control over myself. Only slightly embarrassed, though. The rest of me was screaming to do it again and try and get a taste of the chocolate. I fought that urge, moving away from him.

"That's a new way of saying goodnight." He joked, settling back in his spot.

"Y-yeah…well, goodnight, Mel." I covered my head with the blankets and squeezed my eyes shut, blushing lightly as I tried to fall asleep with my pounding heart.

**.::~Author's Note!~::. **

**Hello, my little Death birds! I'm here to inform that through most of this I was tired, so it might not be the best…and I also regret to inform you that I feel my block creeping back up…I need inspiration! I have a whole weekend to write this (as well as persuasive paper for my honors English class…) and then I have my Christmas Break starting next Wednesday, and I'd really like to get a lot of chapters written and posted during those breaks. If anyone could suggest an affective way to fend off my block, please say it! I hate it with a passion and would like to avoid It for as long as possible! Thank you! Btw, do I even have to ask for reviews at this point?… XD**


	15. Building Bonds

Chapter Fifteen:

Building Bonds

"Envy, get up. Come on, move the blankets and wake up." A voice said as I was shaken on the shoulder. I groaned, moving the sheets just enough to see who was waking me up. Matt raised an eyebrow at me.

"Too comfy..." I pulled the sheets back over my head. I heard him sigh.

"Come on, sis. I'll have to force you out if you don't get up yourself."

"Just try it." I closed my eyes, snuggling into the pillow again. With a shriek, I was lifted off the bed, the blanket still covering me. I protested for Matt to put me down as he walked out of the room, most likely to the living room. I gave out one last protesting shriek just to be dropped on the couch. I heard Tease and Mello laughing as I fought my way out of tangled blankets. I finally got my head free, seeing Mello beside me on the couch. Matt simply stood in front of me wearing a victorious smile. He turned to walk off when I reached my foot out, hitting the back of his knee. He stumbled, tried to regain his balance, but fell to the floor anyway. Tease and I erupted in laughter as Mello chuckled. Matt sat up smiling. I sat up, and scooted a little closer to Mello.

"So why did you wake me?"

"We saw Misa wake about an hour ago. When that Mogi character arrived, she said something to him about maybe inviting you girls out for lunch or dinner if she could fight her hangover." Mello said.

"Oh. If you say so."

"So, what if she wants us to go drinking with her one night?" Tease asked, playing with Matt's hair after he moved to sit in the floor in front of her.

"We tell her we're underage."

"You think she'll accept that? She looks like the cute but demanding type." Matt said, looking at the open laptop screen. Tease scowled a little, pulling some of his hair.

"Ah, T! I meant the stupidly little sister type of cute."

"Right, right. But, anyway, I say if she ever wants us to go out with her, we go. Just in case, though, you or Mello should be near by." I said, standing and stretching.

"Sounds good to me." Matt said, turning the screen a little. "She's getting her phone out. Do you both have your phones where you can hear them?"

"Yep. Always at ready." Tease said, holding her phone up.

I looked around, seeing my phone no where. I started to become panicked when I twirled around to see Mello holding it up. He smirked, tossing it up at me as it vibrated before bursting out in song.

"Hello?"

"Alex!" Misa's high voice shouted. Matt scrambled to turn the sound off on the computer. I turned the on the speaker on my phone, letting everyone hear her.

"Hi, Misa-Misa."

"Hey, Alex, would you and Lynn be interested in catching some dinner with me tonight? I haven't had a girls' night in soooo long!"

"Oh, sure! We'd love to join you. Would Mogi be joining us?"

"Oh, no way. He'd be a kill joy. It'll be just us girls!"

"Perfect." I smiled at the way things were working out to our advantage. "What time?"

"Hmm…around seven. I'll Mochichi pick you guys up.. Where do you live?" She announced. I watched her on the screen as she jumped down next to Mogi on the sofa.

"No, no!" I jumped a little with my protest. "You don't have to pick us up. We'll take ourselves over to the restaurant. What is it, by the way?"

"Just a small bistro down the street from my apartment. Are you sure you two wouldn't rather Mochichi pick you up?"

"I'm sure, I'm sure. We'll see you around seven, then, okay? Bye-bye!" I snapped the phone shut. I looked up at Tease.

"I guess we have a dinner date." She said, leaning back in her chair.

"Yep. Let's see, it's already a little after eleven, so we have about eight hours of freedom."

I made way to kitchen, instantly raiding the fridge and cabinets for my late breakfast. I glanced behind me to see Mello stride in. He shut the door quietly and watched me.

"You're staring."

"I'm thinking." He responded before I even finished my sentence. I turned to face him. "You said yesterday that there was no time for certain things. Didn't you?"

"I did, I did…" I looked away, knowing where he was going.

"You kissed me last night, anyway. Didn't you?"

I sighed. "I did…I did…"

"Why?"

"I don't even know. I've been acting on impulse a lot lately. Haven't you noticed that?"

"I have. I thought you'd have at least one reason, though."

I turned back around to the cabinets, reaching up and grabbing a package of Ramen Noodles. I stayed quiet, hoping he'd leave if I did that. No luck. As I prepared my food, I spoke quietly.

"I told Tease."

"You what?"

"About what happened. I had to tell her."

"Why?"

"She saw it, Mel. I hadn't covered it, and she saw. It's not like she'll tell, anyway."

"She better not." I rolled my eyes at him. "…If Misa takes you guys out to a bar, I'll be the one following. Matt will have to stay here to keep up with the electronics. If things start to get a little out of hand, I'll come into the building." With that, he left. I watched as he slowed his pace for a moment, then picked it back up and left me alone. I jumped up on the counter., preparing to eat my ramen.

"I'm an idiot…" I mumbled to myself.

.::/6 P.M.\\::.

"I want you and Tease to wear these tonight, so you need to leave your hair down." Matt said, holding out two ear pieces. I took one, looking it over. I looked up at him, wondering why we needed them.

"In case we need you to ask her something or need you guys to bring up a certain subject, we can tell you directly. It's easier than just calling or texting either of you." Mello answered my wondering thoughts. I nodded quietly, putting the ear piece in.

Tease was hoarded up in the bathroom preparing for our "girls' night" with Misa. I sat in the living room floor with the boys and dug through my make-up bag. I pulled out my normal shade of powder and black eyeliner. Instead of my normal dark eye shadow, I grabbed some lighter colors that would compliment my blue eyes. I slipped my glasses off, and began getting ready. Tease come out shortly after, wearing incredibly short blue jean shorts and a black ripped tank top. Underneath to cover her skin from the cuts was a bright yellow cami. I smiled at her as she sat down with her own make-up bag. I saw Matt and Mello glance at each other, shaking their heads at us. I laughed to myself, getting up to change. I went through the dresser drawers searching for an outfit. I finally settled on an outfit, rushing to change. I had chosen a plain black tank top that tied on my shoulders, and plain white shorts. I also took the black heels from our first encounter with Misa. I quickly straightened my waved hair before going back out to the others.

"It's already six forty-five. Want to go ahead and get to that bistro?" Tease asked. I grabbed my phone, sliding it in my pocket with a nod. I switched my normal glasses out for the bugged ones as we went out. Instead of taking the car, we walked. It was cold out, but not cold enough to defer us from walking.

The small little bistro was rather cute. It had a very calming effect on you when you walked in. The smell of sweets and coffees intertwined, tingling the senses enough to make me smile and feel secure. We both looked around for the blond we were simply using. Tease tapped my shoulder, pointing to the very back. Sure enough, sitting by herself with her phone out, was Misa. We made our way over to her, both of us sitting opposite of her. She smiled the second she us.

"Oh, hi! I'm so glad you guys could make it! I went ahead and ordered some cakes for us. I hope you don't mind. I'm just so excited to finally have a night out with some girls!" She gushed. I glanced at Tease as she glanced back at me. I smiled, looking back at the excited pop star.

"We don't mind at all. In fact, I'm very glad you let us come out with you tonight." I said.

"I am, too. You don't realize just how important this is to us." Tease added, a somewhat mischievous smile appearing on her lips.

Mello's Point Of View:

"Wow, Tease! I love your top! Where did you find something so cool like that? It totally fit's your type of build." Misa sang as she took a bite of her cake.

I groaned lightly, slumping back into the couch. "Is this all you guys are going to talk about? Fashion?"

On Envy's screen, she looked down at her hands while Tease and Misa were engrossed in an almost violent conversation, and subtly held out her middle finger. I scoffed, the corners of my mouth twitching up into a smile. She looked back up at Misa and Tease, finally noticing the way they were talking to each other.

"That's still insulting! That's like me calling you a whore just because of the way you dress for your photo shoots!" Tease snarled.

"Now, now, girls," Envy said, "calm down, please! Tease, you shouldn't speak to her that way. And Misa, you shouldn't harass someone over their height. Besides, I could be offended, too, since she and I are the same height…"

I took my earpiece out after Misa began talking. Not only did her voice annoy me, but Envy was no longer speaking. I had almost no interest unless she was talking. I loved the sound of her voice. Just hearing it made me want to smile. I was embarrassed to admit it, but it did. I went to get a chocolate bar quickly and sat back down. I put the ear piece back in and spoke to the girls.

"One of you find a way to bring up Yagami. We need to know right away what her connection is to him."

Matt glanced up at me, speaking to his sister. "Since Tease is starting to hate her, you probably ought to do it, sis. Tell her about the articles."

"So, Misa-Misa…" Envy mused right after Matt stopped speaking. "I've read some articles online about you…"

"Oh? What kind?"

"Well, it was about you and this boy…oh, what was that name? Light Yugumi? Yugami?"

"Yagami! Light Yagami!" Misa smiled sheepishly.

"Right, right! Him! It said something about you and him being a couple, but I couldn't find a date on that article. Is it true? Are you dating that boy?"

"Yes, I'm definitely dating him. We're so in love! I wish that we were already married…"

"Why aren't you?" Tease asked.

"Oh, because of his work. He's so busy that we barely get to go on dates or even see each other." She laid her head down.

"What does he do that keeps him so occupied?" Tease pushed.

"Oh…I can't tell you guys that. He made me promise not to tell anyone. Sorry." She smiled lightly. "So what about you two sexy girls? Do either of _you _have a boyfriend?"

Envy's Point of View:

We both simply stared at her. She rested her head on her hands as she smiled at us.

"Well, do you?"

"Um, I kind of do." Tease said. I looked over her, waiting for an explanation. "I've known him for a really long time, and we've been doing some stuff recently, so-"

"Oh, stuff? Do you mean cute stuff, or _stuff_ stuff?" Misa leaned in some more.

"Only cute stuff! I swear." She looked over at me as she said that.

"Oh…well, Alex, what about you?"

"I, um…"

"Pardon me, ladies, but we're about to close." A waiter said, unknowingly saving me from the question.

"Oh…we'll be leaving then." Misa said, getting up from her seat. We followed her out into the streets, and began following her as she spoke to us from ahead. "So I was thinking we could go out drinking tonight. Are you guys game?"

"I'm sorry, Misa, but we're underage…" I said, wondering what she'd do.

"Oh, that's not a problem! As long as you're with me, you can get in anywhere!" She stopped, turning to us. "So, what do you say?"

"Sure. Let's go!" Tease agreed loudly, following quickly as Misa marched on. I sighed, following silently.

We walked up to the entrance of a bar, a large man standing out front. Misa walked in with no problems. When Tease and I tried to follow, he stuck his arm out in front us. Misa turned around when I squealed a little.

"Hey, there with me! Do you know how I am? I'm Misa-Misa Amane!" She sounded like a total diva. The guy looked over his shoulder, eyeing her over. He looked back at us, grunting as he moved his arm. I rushed past him, bumping into Misa. I apologized quietly, glancing around. I felt out of place. There were guys and girls everywhere, and the place was lit with mainly black lights. Misa took us straight to the bar, sitting on one of the tall stools. I sat to her left, and Tease sat beside me. Misa ordered three drinks as fast as she could. When the drinks arrived, she drank half of it one gulp. I glanced at Tease, who just sipped at it. I slowly reached out and grabbed the drink. I lifted it up. I always hated the way any type of alcohol smelled, so I was sure I was going to hate it. I braced myself and took a small sip anyway.

"Hey, you guys wanna dance?" Misa called over the music. I shook my head with a smile. Tease jumped out of her seat.

"I will!" She and Misa made their way down to the floor and began dancing with each other in the crowd. I turned around in my seat. I pulled my phone out, staring at it while spoke to myself in the corner.

"I don't when we'll be coming at back at this point. Misa seems to be full of energy right now…"

"Maybe she can't hold her liquor. If she can't then you guys can come home early." Matt said cheerfully through the earpiece.

"Maybe…" I leaned into my hand, going through my phone. I pushed my glasses up some so the camera couldn't see it. I stared at the number Near had given me. I wanted to talk to him again to see how he was doing. I snapped the phone shut when Misa appeared beside me again, downing the rest of her drink and mine when I slid it toward her.

"Where's T- um, Lynn?" I asked, looking around.

"Bathroom." She sat down. "So, you never answered my question about a boyfriend."

I looked up her, playing with my hair as I thought. "I don't know."

"Don't know? How can you not know?"

"W-well…uh…I'm not sure how I can explain it."

"Oh, please do explain this." Matt's amused voice rang in my ear.

"This will prove to be interesting." Mello's deep voice followed.

"Oh, come on. If you can't figure things out, I'm sure I can help." Misa smiled. I ran a hand through my hair, looking at her.

"Alright, well…we've been friends for as long as I can remember, he's my best male friend, he's always been there for me, and he, um…he was my first kiss and first real crush."

"Oh, how cute! If you guys have kissed, then shouldn't you be together?" She quizzed.

"Well, after that first kiss, he kind disappeared for awhile. I didn't find him again for another few months, and by that time everything had changed. It was like we were never childhood sweethearts to begin with…"

"Have you guys kissed recently?"

I closed my eyes, slowly opening them back up. "Yes. But that was my fault. We both were about to fall asleep, and I kissed him goodnight. I don't even know why, either."

"Hm…with that look in your eyes, I'd say you love him! You have the same look talking about him that I get when I talk about my Light~" She sang happily. I stared at her, wide eyed. Tease came bouncing up, taking another sip of her drink.

"So, what have I missed?" She asked.

I turned, telling her she didn't really miss anything. We stayed for another hour, simply talking about random stuff. Misa, in the meantime, ordered many drinks, and was soon drunk off her ass. She wanted to dance, but couldn't even walk straight enough to get down on the floor. We grabbed her coat for her, leaving the bar with many hateful comments toward Misa. As we walked down the street, she pointed at many things and talked so loud that everyone on the streets stared at us.

We were almost to Misa's apartment when I heard something behind us. I paused, turning around. I didn't see anything or anyone.

"Hey, Lynn, whatta lookin' at?" Misa asked.

"I'm Alex, Misa, not Lynn. And I thought I heard someone. It was nothing, though, I guess." I looked over at Tease, who checked the surroundings as we kept walking. I heard the strange shuffling sounds again. I stopped and spun around again to see a man.

"Did you say 'Misa'? I love Misa-Misa." He stepped forward, reaching out toward Misa. She stared at him, not sure of what to do in her drunken state. Tease stepped in front of her, smacking his hands away. When he grabbed Tease's wrists turning angry, I acted on impulse. I kicked him in the groin. He fell to the ground with a groan. I kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could before we ran off with Misa. We pulled her into her apartment, all of us out of breath. Misa fell to the floor, looking up at us.

"That guy…he was gonna hurt me, wasn't he?"

I glanced down at her. "Probably."

"And you guys helped me out…"

"Y-yeah." Tease said, leaning on her knees.

"I guess that means I can really trust you two!" She yelled cheerily. Not needing to blow our cover, we both agreed. She stumbled up to her feet, throwing her arms around us both. "I love you guys!"

We pried her of us, telling her we loved her, too, and she probably should go to bed. She agreed instantly, wobbling to her room. We left, rushing back to the apartment. The second we were back inside, we flung ourselves onto the guys. Tease draped herself on Matt, and I landed in Mello's lap, hugging him.

"That guy got to you, didn't he?" He asked, hugging me back. I nodded into the crook of his neck. Thankful he was there for me to be holding. I looked back at Tease and Matt, who were speaking in whispers. I watched as he brushed her back and kissed her lightly. He helped her up, and informed us they were going to bed. I stayed in Mello's lap until I felt myself falling asleep. He must've noticed, too, since he picked me up and took me to the bedroom. I didn't even feel like changing. I simply grabbed a t-shirt and nothing else. We both changed in the same room, crawling into bed together. I felt him stiffen some when he noticed I had nothing to cover my bottom half. He pulled me close to him anyway, and fell asleep soon after. I couldn't shut my mind off enough to fall asleep, though. I wiggled free from Mello's grasp, grabbing my phone. I text the number Near had given me. He instantly called me. I walked out to answer the phone.

"Hey, Near."

"Is there something wrong?" He sounded genuinely worried.

"Not, um, not really. I just wanted to talk to you about some things…" I curled up on the couch.

"Well, then, by all means, Envy, tell me what's in your mind at this hour."

"…Mello." I laid my head back. "After talking with…_someone…_tonight, I've realized that she was right about something very important that could get in the way of the case, and I need help. I just need to talk to you about some things."

"What is it that you have realized?"

"I'm…I'm in love with Mello…" Just saying those words lifted a weight off my shoulders.

"In love? Well, I must say, I have seen this coming for some time now."

"Really? You have?" I lifted my head, shocked that he could tell before I even knew.

"Yes, I have. I could tell just by the way you gaze at him." I looked down, playing with my toes as he continued. "Now, what was the other thing you needed to speak to me about?"

"If need be, could I come help you with the case?"


	16. Merry Christmas

Chapter Sixteen:

Merry Christmas 

"Pardon me?" Near's usually monotone voice leaked the shock he was feeling.

"You heard me, Cotton Ball. If things get a little out of hand here, could I come help you out?" I stood, pacing quietly as I waited for my dear friend to respond. For a moment, I thought I heard someone moving about, but when no further sounds were heard, I shrugged it off.

"…The only way I would let you join forces with me is if your life was suddenly put in danger. Will your feelings do that?"

"W-well, no…I guess they-"

"Think of the holidays , Envy. Christmas is three days away. If you suddenly came to me, you'd be at a loss for New Year's, would you not?"

I stopped moving. I lowered myself onto the coffee table. I sighed. "I would, I would…damn, Near. Why are you so smart? No one else would think of that stuff…"

"There is a reason I was ranked at one."

"You were originally three."

"Still a high rank. Now, go to bed, Envy. It should be rather late now."

I pulled my phone back, pressing a button to light the screen up. The clock read one forty-six. "You're right. I'll talk to you whenever…bye."

"Until next time…" I vaguely heard before hanging up. I rested my head in my hand, keeping my arm propped up on my knee. I sighed heavily again.

"Envy?" I turned my head, seeing Mello. I stopped breathing. _Is he what I heard?_

"Yes, Mello?"

"Was that Near you were talking to?" He kept his distance from me as moved to face my front. I could only nod. He was glowering at me through his bangs. "You want to join him?"

"No. I was simply asking if things got bad, if he'd even think about letting me help him." I glanced up at him through my bangs when he remained silent. He was staring straight at me. "I swear that's it. I'm telling the truth. I want to stay here with you, I do, but if things get too dangerous or crazy…"

"I don't like it." He finally said. "I can understand your point a little, but I don't like it at all. Especially with the way you haven't said anything to Matt, or Tease, or even me."

I picked at the nail polish on my nails. I felt like I was a child getting scolded by a parent. "I'm sorry."

I heard his feet shuffling across the floor, back to our room. "…You don't know how grateful I am that you're staying…" He whispered into the silence. I turned to look at him, but the door was already shut.

.::/The Next Day\\::.

"How much did she drink again?" Matt asked as he glanced at the horribly hung over Misa on the screen. I looked over my screen to see her fall onto the couch, clutching her head.

"Too much, apparently…" I smiled, going back to our game. Matt was sitting across from me on the couch. He had attached our old school gameboys and we were dueling each other in a Pokemon match. I squeaked as my Squirtle got blasted with a fiery hot attack from Matt's Charmander. He laughed at my squeak, only fueling my determination to beat him. I laughed blissfully as his Charmander's HP rapidly decreased. When I saw Tease twirl in the room with her iPod in hand, I quickly defeated Matt and went to her.

"Tease~" I sang, pulling out her ear bud. She stared at the discarded ear bud as I continued. "Could you keep Mello's curiosity in check while Brother and I do a little shopping?"

"Sure. What are you shopping for?" She took her other ear bud out as she began looking for her lunch.

"Christmas decorations. It's Christmas Eve, and I'm not feeling the spirit. We need some kind of decoration, even if it's just one little wreath." I laughed lightly to myself.

"Okay, cool." She smiled more brightly when Matt came striding over next to me.

"She agreed?"

"Yes, sir, she did." I looked back at her. "Please don't tell Mello. He'll probably get a little feisty about us wasting money on decoration."

"You got it. A secret it will be!" I watched as Matt leaned over, giving her a quick pop kiss, then dragged me out the door for some crowd fighting.

The crowds were horrible. What made us think it would a good idea to do a minimal amount of shopping on Christmas Eve? There were woman literally clawing at each other over appliances and toys, men being assholes to everyone who even _looked _at something they were guarding for themselves, children trying to see what as buried in carts and crying that they wanted some toy, and a bunch of snobby teenagers trying to just hang out. It was a mess. I was beyond relieved when Matt gave in and said we could leave after an hour of shopping around. We called Tease as we were leaving, informing her we were coming back. Mello could be heard in the background, ranting on about something involving Misa. We both sighed, hanging up and speeding back to relief Tease before she killed the blond.

"Tease! Mello!~ We're back!" I called, opening the door. Mello sat in the chair straight across from the door. I carried one bag while Matt had the other. Tease ran in from the other room, kissing Matt on the cheek and instantly peeking in the bags. I set my bag down in front of her, ditching my coat.

"Where have you two been?" Mello asked, sitting up.

"Out." Matt smirked sarcastically.

"Where?"

"Shopping. For decorations." He pulled out some silver garland, throwing it at Mello. He scowled, tossing it aside.

"Why did you get that crap?"

"Because," I started, "Christmas is tomorrow. We haven't celebrated together in years. I think it's time to start again."

He watched me for a minute before slumping back into the chair. "I guess you're right."

Tease pulled out some more garland and began decorating. Matt quickly joined her. I looked at Mello with a small smile.

"Want to help?"

"No, thanks." He moved around to mess with the laptop in front of him. I rolled my eyes at his attitude. I slowly got up and began helping decorate the apartment.

After almost two hours of decorating and goofing around, the three of us fell onto the couch, satisfied with our work. Mello had gone off to shower as we were finishing, leaving us alone to discuss Christmas stuff.

"So, should we try and do anything for tomorrow?" Matt asked.

"We don't really have time to…" I said, pulling all of my hair to the side.

"Maybe we could bake something? Like, cookies…that would be something…" Matt suggested.

"That actually sounds like the most we can do." Tease agreed.

"If that's it, then what's the point? We might as well just stay here and celebrate without anything. That's possible." I shrugged, then watched Mello come back in the room, grabbing his motorcycle keys.

"Where are you going? It's getting dark out."

"Somewhere." He didn't look at any of us. He opened the door, walking out. I jumped up, worrying about him. I grabbed my coat, just in case, and rushed out into the hall.

"Mel, wait. Where are you going?"

"I told you," He said, only turning enough so I could see his profile, "Somewhere." He turned around again, going to the elevator and pressing the 'down' button.

"Well, could you give you slight hint as to where that somewhere would be? it's a little worrisome with the way you refuse to tell us where you're off to as night is approaching."

"I just want to be alone for awhile. Is that so much to ask?" He barked, getting in the elevator when the doors opened. He leaned against the back wall. He met my eyes for a brief moment before I shrugged slightly and went back to the room.

"So where's he off to?" Tease asked.

"He wouldn't say. The most that was said was that he wanted to be alone for awhile." I made my way to the bedroom, putting my ear buds in, and dissolving into my world of music. I was oblivious to the entire outside world until I felt someone sit on the bed. I lifted my head, seeing Mello taking off his boots. I blinked with a slight groan, catching his attention. I moved at a slow pace to sit up. I turned my iPod off, ran a hand through my hair and looked back at him. He went back to messing with his boots.

"Were you asleep?" He asked quietly.

"No. I just had the music up pretty loud. What time is it?"

"Ten something."

"Oh. Might as well hit the hay, then." I got up, moving slower than a snail, to change into a pair of lounge pants. When I got back in the room, Mello had already changed and was laying down. I fell into the bed, covering up my freezing body. I took my glasses off, turned my light out, and quickly drifted off.

.::/The Next Day- Christmas Day\\::.

"Wake up, guys! Its Christmas!" Matt yelled before jumping on the bed. I jolted upright from my sleep with a gasp. On the other side of the jumping brunette, Mello groaned, clutching at his head. I heard Tease laughing at the doorframe. I punched Matt in the leg, causing him to fall.

"What do you think you're doing?" I shrieked.

"Waking you." He gave his half smile at me, thinking he was being funny. I shoved him away from me, getting out of bed.

"You guys hurry up. It's Christmas and we want to spend the whole day with you!" Tease chimed. Mello remained silent as he joined me at the dresser to get clothes. I waited until they both had left the room before speaking.

"If they act like this all day, then it's going to be a very long day…" I mumbled, grabbing a simple tank top and jeans.

"Tell me about it." He mumbled back.

I smiled lightly, going off and changing. We eventually made our way into the living room, where Tease and Matt were ready with Christmas music and everything. I laughed at their over cheeriness and fell onto the couch. After about thirty minutes of fun, Matt disappeared into his room for about five minutes. When he came back out, he wore a headband with mistletoe on a line hanging over him.

"Who wants the first kiss?" He called out. Mello and I instantly pointed to the giggling Tease on the other end of the couch. He went to her, kissing her. I looked at Mello as he pretended to gag. I bit my lip to try and keep from laughing. When I turned back around, Matt was coming toward me. I smacked my hand right on his forehead when he got close enough.

"Don't even think about it." I closed my eyes, keeping him away with my hand. He moved out from under it, sitting beside me.

"I was just going to go for the cheek. Anywhere else would be creepy."

"Still weird." I laughed.

"Fine, fine…" He got up. He walked over to Mello, spreading his arms out. "Do you feel left out?"

"No way in Hell." He jumped up, moving next to me. Matt took the headband off, declaring we were no fun.

"Oh! But I have something might cheer you up…well, one of you at least." He said, pulling his laptop and turning it on. He motioned for all of us to gather around the laptop that sat on the counter. We all followed his command, gathering into a semicircle.

"What's he got planned, T?" I whispered to her.

"You'll see…" Her smile was as big and sneaky as the Cheshire cat's smile.

I shook my head, looking back at Matt's screen. I was wondering why he had Link and Zelda as his background when he pressed several keys. The screen suddenly turned completely white. I blinked furiously from the abrupt blindingly white screen. I looked back up as an old English 'N' appeared on the screen. I covered my mouth as I laughed.

"No way. Near's going to chat with us right now?" I asked, looking between Matt and Tease. They both nodded.

"He called while you guys were still asleep and asked if it was alright." Tease smiled.

"Near, you can speak up now." Matt said.

"Excellent. Envy and Mello are both in the room, correct?" His voice wasn't pixilated or anything. It was his true voice!

"Yeah, we're in here." I still smiled happily at the screen.

"I planned on letting you all see me, but Hal insisted otherwise."

"Is she in the room?" Tease asked.

"Not at the moment, no."

"Then let us see you. If she walks in and sees, then oh well! Me and Matt haven't seen you since Wammy's. Don't you think we deserve to see you?" Tease pouted. We heard a quiet shuffling, then the 'N' was replaced with Near. He laid on his stomach, a small Christmas tree next to him and legos spread out around him.

"When she comes in and begins her complaining, I plan on blaming you entirely, Tease." Near said, flicking one of the ornaments on his tree.

"If she says anything, all I have to say is: come at me!"

I laughed alongside Tease. I glanced at Mello, who had his jaw clenched. I nudged him lightly, whispering to him to smile and be happy. He sighed, relaxing a bit.

"By the way, I'm sure at least one of you knows of a woman by the name of Naomi Takada, correct?"

"Yeah, that's the one news lady that looks like a bitch." Tease said.

"She really does, doesn't she? Kind of manly, too." I agreed with her while faintly scowling.

"…Anyway," Near said after a small silence, "She has become the new Kira spokesperson. I believe she's being used as bridge between the First Kira and a new Kira, that I am currently calling 'Kira-X'."

"A bridge?" Mello repeated. "So in other words, you think Yagami is using this Takada girl to tell the new Kira what to do?"

"Exactly."

"Looks like we have a new target." Matt said. "Misa's innocent right now as far as I can tell, anyway. She seems to be too much of an airhead at this point to be a Kira."

"I agree. You four should turn your focus onto Miss Takada." Near agreed.

Getting the feeling Near was about to end the transmission among us, I whispered in Tease's ear quickly. She nodded, smiling some.

"Envy has an idea. It doesn't involve the case, though."

Matt leaned forward, lifting his goggles up. "What is it, Little Sis?"

"As depressing as it sounds, any day could be our last right now." I looked at the ground, the smallest hint of a smile slipping out. "I think we should all share our real names with each other. That could be our gifts to each other." I looked up, looking from Matt to Mello to Near and back.

"I like that." Matt said.

"I must agree. I see no harm in it." Near said.

"Sure. Why not?" Mello agreed, his arm wrapping around my shoulders.

"I'll start it." Matt said. He removed his goggles, toying with them some. "Mail..."

"Taylor..." Tease said, taking hold of Matt's hand.

"…Emily..." I smiled at Near as I spoke. He nodded, setting his eyes on Mello.

"…Mihael." He looked down at me, then to the rest them.

All eyes landed on Near as we waited. He gave a childish smile. "Nate."

I smiled, happy that we all just let each into our circles of trust. I felt Mello's grip tighten ever so slightly as Near spoke again. "I guess I should be going now. I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Good luck to you all." He smiled once again, reaching up and turning off the webcam. I found myself resting my head on Mello's shoulder.

"That was nice…seeing him and sharing." I said.

Matt shut his laptop down. "Yeah. It was, wasn't it? I think we should've done it sooner, though. I feel like we all waited a little too long to share."

"Maybe we did. We still found out, though, so in the end that's all that matters." Tease said, grabbing her coat. "But, anyway, Matt told me this morning he wanted to take me out for a movie and then dinner, so we'll be gone for awhile."

Matt followed her, grabbing his coat and keys and leaving with her. Mello released his hold on me, going to the couch and turning on the television. I watched him, slowly moving myself to sit beside him. I watched the my fingers nervously.

"I'm still sorry for asking Near that question…" I whispered.

"…Its fine."

"Can I ask you a question, then?"

"You just did."

I looked at him. "You know what I mean."

"Alright, alright. Ask your question." He turned the television down, but still didn't look at me.

"Why did you get a little hateful with me over asking and then whisper that you were grateful I was staying?"

He looked at me before getting up. He began walking around almost anxiously. "I'm not sure how I need to word it."

"Try. For me." I watched him make his way into the kitchen and begin rummaging through the drawers. I went to stand in the door frame, eventually leaning against it.

"I got pissed because…" He stopped moving with his back facing me. "I had already been thinking about how things would've been had you not joined me. That's actually what woke me to begin with. It got me pissed and hurt enough to wake me."

"Hurt?" I stood a little straighter.

"…Y-yeah."

"Alright, what do you mean by that?"

"It means you're…um, you're important to me, En. I know I've said that I need you before, and I've meant it every time." He turned his head enough to look at me, suddenly appearing in front of me. He brushed my bangs away from my eyes gently. "My dream…it was of a memory at first…when we were at Wammy's. It was when we kissed."

"O-oh?" I stared into his eyes, feeling my knees about to give way.

"Yeah…it had brought those emotions back up. They haven't gone back down yet, either."

"They haven't?" I almost whispered.

"No…"

"Then how do you suggest…that be fixed?"

"I don't even know." He pushed himself away, leaning on the other doorframe. While he stared at the ground, I looked up to calm my heart beat. There, I noticed something odd that gave me an idea. I looked back at him.

"Maybe I know a way. It can fix it or make or worse." He looked at me.

"What is it?"

I looked up at the hanging piece of mistletoe for a mere second before looking at him. He followed my gaze, his eyes widening some at it. He looked back at me when I pushed off the doorframe. He copied me. His hands landed on my waist as my hands rested on the sides of his face. We both leaned forward until our lips were just barely touching.

"Merry Christmas…" I whispered.

"Merry Christmas." He whispered back, the smell of chocolate from his breath tickling my senses.

I pushed our lips together. It was nothing like our last kiss. There was no confusion, no anger, no lust, no emotions from it. This was soft. Sweet. Simple. It reminded me of our very first kiss. I even felt the goose bumps creep up on me like the first time. All too soon, though, he pulled away. His grip remained on my waist. My shaking hands trailed back to pet his hair.

"So…did it work?" I quietly asked, breaking a long silence.

"Too soon to tell…" He looked me in the eye, making me weak again. "It definitely did something, though."

I felt my face heat up as he gave me the legendary smirk. I pulled away from him, tucking my hair behind my ear. I opened my mouth, moving it to try and say something, but nothing came out. I bet I looked a fish trying to breathe out of water. I clamped my mouth shut, squeezed my eyes, and tried again.

"I guess that's good, then. Um…" I opened my eyes, looking toward Matt's laptop. "I guess Tease and I need to tell Misa goodbye before we switch our attention over to Takada."

"Yeah." He fell back against the door frame again. "You can do that tomorrow, though."

"Right." I sat on the couch, turning the television back up.

"Emily…" He pondered. I had never heard my true name said any sweeter. I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking at him. "It fits. I couldn't imagine you with any other name now."

"Th-thank you."

He sat next me, placing his around me and pulling me close to him. I smiled a little, wrapping my arm around his middle. He rubbed my back with his middle finger as we sat together, watching some random show. Life couldn't get any better than this at this moment.

**.::~Author's Note~::. **

**I am SO sorry how long it took to update! I wanted to post this on Christmas day, but never got to it with family things. Then, when I did actually start to work on it, I got half way done and my laptop caught a virus (that of which I still haven't managed to get rid of…), so I'm going to apologize in advance if I don't update for awhile…Also, I'm pondering on doing an extra chapter in Mello's P.O.V again since the last one bombed. I would appreciate some feedback on this chapter and how I'm doing so far, btw! Please and thank you! :D**


	17. Childhood

Chapter Seventeen:

Childhood

For someone who should've been used to gaining "friends" and leaving them behind, Misa took our goodbye pretty hard. She did everything she could to get Tease and I to meet her for one last lunch date before we left.

"Gee, Misa. I'm not sure. Lynn and I supposed to go back to the states pretty soon. Our flight leaves today and it'll take us awhile to find the airport and get settled." I lied into the phone as we all packed our bags.

The boys had gotten on their laptops early yesterday morning to track down the current hotel Takada was to be staying at. It took them awhile to find the correct one past all the rumor-filled web pages, but they did indeed find it. We were booked to stay in that same hotel as her for an indefinite amount of time. It wasn't very far from our current location, but it was still far enough away to where Misa shouldn't be able to find us easily in public.

"Well, I'm sure Motchi wouldn't mind dropping you two off!" The pop star continued to plead.

"I really don't think we can, Misa. I mean, we really have to-" I pulled the phone away, pressing the hang up button. I caught Mello chuckling at me. "Bad connection…" I said, zipping my suitcase up.

"Hey!" Matt called from the other room. "You two ready yet?"

"Yeah, we're coming." Mello called, grabbing not only his suitcase, but mine as well. He gave me a small wink as he passed.

Since we kissed on Christmas, the way we treated each other was even more chaotic than usual. For the most part, we acted like we did in Wammy's: harmless flirting that really doesn't mean a thing. At some points, though, we'd bark at each like we were worst enemies ready to attack each other. Then, we'd turn around and have those moments that seem to only exist in movies and cheesy romance novels where we'd just look at each other and the mood of the room would shift into something deeper. It was confusing, and gave me headaches, but I knew it would blow over soon.

Taking in a deep breath, I walked out to meet with the others. Matt was stuffing some of his game devices in his multiple vest pockets as Tease was doing something with her cell phone. I tugged Matt's hair as I walked by, collecting my bag from Mello. He looked up, pulling on Tease's hand. In silence we walked out of the room, to the elevator, and into the lobby. Mello dropped the keys to the room in front of the ladies as we walked by. Going to the car, I remembered something.

"What about your motorcycle? You can't leave it here, can you?" I waited by the trunk with Mello for Matt to open it.

"I'll walk back here later and get it." He looked down at me. "Don't worry. I have a plan for everything."

"…Of course."

Matt popped the trunk, letting us put everything back there. After all was secure, I climbed in the back of the Mustang with Tease just in time, for Matt sped out of the parking lot like a bloody hell bound demon.

The second we got the hotel, Takada was spotted leaving. We kept our heads ducked from sight, speaking and moving as quietly as possible. I gasped lightly when I saw Hal standing next to her. I grabbed Mello, tugging him along faster. The second we piled in the room, Mello started telling us to change as quickly as possible. We all followed his orders, grabbing different types of clothing and switching our current clothes for them. I grabbed the box of wigs Tease and I had bought awhile back ago, saying it would be smart for us to hide our hair colors and cuts, just in case. Grabbing the first wig our hands touched, we put them on and went outside to search for the woman.

We didn't walk very long before we saw our new target enter a small, unnoticeable café. We quietly stalked about two minutes after her. We sat at a table far enough away for her not to notice us, but close enough for us to tell when she was getting ready to leave and such.

After we got settled and took a good look at each other, it was hard for none of us to laugh. We looked ridiculous, with the exception of Tease. She had grabbed a black wig, so she looked normal. Matt, though, had grabbed a bright red wig that fell to his shoulders. Mello was sporting dark green hair that wasn't too long, but wasn't too short either. I somehow managed to grab a deep pink wig that matched Matt's wig in length. Like I said, we looked ridiculous.

As we all fought the urge to laugh at each other, I found some hidden courage to ask Mello and Tease a question that had plagued my mind since we were children.

"So…" I started. They all stopped and looked at me. I looked between the two. "What happened to your parents to land you in Wammy's House?"

Both visibly stiffened at the mention of their pasts. Tease nervously glanced at Mello. He lowered his head some, eyeing one of decorations placed on the table. Matt and I shared a look before Mello began speaking.

"I used to live in Russia. My mother was a normal house-wife while my father was preoccupied with his work at some mass production company. They would fight constantly about our tight budget. They thought I couldn't understand what was going on because I was so young, so they didn't bother going to a different room to yell at each other." He paused, releasing a humorless chuckle. "Apparently, everyday was a struggle. As the months rolled by, our budget was getting tighter and tighter. At one point, my mother threatened to leave and take me with her. Then, out of no where, father got a hold of enough money to get us out of troubles and steady us."

"How did he do that?" Matt and I asked at the same time. We gave each other shocked looks, then looked back at Mello.

He leaned into the table. "Ever wonder where I got the idea to join the mafia?"

"This isn't the time to get side-tracked, blondie!" Tease snapped, obviously curious as well.

"It had a point, T. But, anyway, he got the money from the Russian mafia. He showed my mother that he could handle everything, so she stayed. But he couldn't square away his debt. He knew what was about to happen. He forced me and my mother into a closet when he saw the guys show up. My mother wasn't going to let him face them alone, so she made me stay and went after him. I didn't hear any screaming or pleas, just a lot of banging and crashes. Then, I heard the door slam shut. After about five minutes, I went out to see if they were alright."

We all remained quiet, knowing the ending. I could feel my heart breaking for him.

"How old were you, Mello?" Tease asked, concern shining in her eyes.

He glanced at her. "Almost six."

I covered my mouth as my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe such a young child had to see their parents in such a way. I slowly and carefully placed my hands on one of his. He barely looked at our hands before shooting his gaze to my eyes. His movement became hesitant as he looked away and placed his other hand on mine.

Matt watched Tease as he asked, "And you? What happened to your family?"

She slowed her pace, the life visibly fading from her eyes as she went into the abyss of her mind, pulling out the blocked out memories. Her fell into a straight a line before finally falling into a frown. Her brows furrowed in a mix of fear and sorrow.

"My family…" She mumbled. "It was kind of…dysfunctional. My mom was unemployed at the time, and my father…I can't remember what he did for a living. But don't get me wrong. We were actually kind of wealthy. Whatever my father did brought in a lot of money and he had a good reputation somehow. Anyway, there were a few issues that led to the demise of our family and their relationship. My mother was spineless. She could barely stand up for me when needed, let alone herself. She was quiet, and also too forgiving. My father, though, was the opposite. He was loud…demanding…mean…and a drunk, too. He'd come home every other night drunk off his middle aged-ass." she straightened up, pausing in her tale.

"Middle aged? How old were your parents?" I asked.

"…My mother was seventeen when she met my father. He was already thirty-one. By the time she was eighteen, she was pregnant with me."

"Oh…" I sank back, doing the quick math in my head.

"So, knowing I was on the way, my father married my mother to make things right and not ruin his already building reputation. But, after I was born, they apparently fought a lot and my father's late nights got worse. As I grew older, I learned to stay away from him when he'd get angry or drunk. I also knew to hide in my room when they'd fight.

When I was four, he came home late, as usual, and he picked a fight with her. I hid behind the couch instead of my room that night. I saw and heard everything. He called her a whore for messing around with younger men. She swore she had been faithful to him the whole time they had been together, but he didn't believe her. He finally got pissed enough to break the vase next to him and started going after her. She ran, pulling the gun out of the drawer next to the door. When he still charged at her, she shot. On his way down, he sliced her throat." She closed her eyes, shaking lightly. "She finally stood up to him, but it was too late. Her fate had been set."

"Oh, my God…" Matt whispered, gingerly holding her.

"I went to her, trying to see if she was alright. When neither responded to me, I called 9-1-1, like my mom had taught me to do in case of an emergency. After learning they both had died, I was sent to a room. I took a test, told the officers what happened, and I was sent off to Wammy's that night. Though it was late, Roger stood outside and waited for my arrival. Beyond was standing next to him. He had this smile on his face…almost like he knew my situation and what had happened."

"Really? You don't think…" Matt trailed.

"-That he had something to do with it?" I finished.

"I don't know." Tease admitted. "I never asked him, but I like to think he helped me out." She smiled, most likely remembering Beyond Birthday.

"How about you two?" Mello asked. "I remember being told your father was a hacker, but I don't remember the story of how you got sent to Wammy's."

I moved my hands out of his grasp into my lap as Matt sat up a little. I looked at my brother, nodding my head for him to begin the story.

"It's true what we were told about them driving off a bridge into a river, but the cause was a lie."

"Our father. He was a professional hacker, and a damn good one, too. He'd work for, well, anyone who was willing to pay a sufficient amount for his hacking services. Many different business owners would call forth to our father, asking him to destroy their enemies."

"And considering how much just one client would be willing to pay, our father happily obliged. Sis and I both think that our father hit a little too close to home with Kira during one of his jobs. It probably didn't help that a lot businesses were going under for being exposed for different wrongs. All kinds of businesses were slowly being slaughtered. We believe that Kira finally caught wind of who the cause behind it was-"

"-And eliminated the problem." I finished, almost in tears. "He got too carried away with the income and went overboard. Had he taken things slower and not insisted on mom going with him that night, we'd still have both of them with us. At the very least, we'd have mom..." I took in deep breath, wiping at a few tears that had escaped. "But, as harsh as it might sound, some good did seep through all of us losing our parents."

"Like?" Mello questioned.

"We all got to meet each other."

"That's true." Tease agreed. "Had our parents never passed, we never would've been sent to Wammy's and we never would've become friends. Our lives would be so different right now. And some, not for the better."

I smiled along side Tease, feeling like one of the luckiest people in the world to have three of my closest friends sitting her with me at this very moment. I caught the guys smirking, wondering if they were thinking the same. I caught Mello's eye. Smiling a little softer unwillingly. He did the same. He glanced behind me, suddenly cursing under his breath, and telling us to get up. We all glanced behind to see Takada leaving. In a rush, we all jumped up. My bad luck decided to mess with me, though, causing my shoe to get stuck in the tall chair. I braced myself to hit the tiles below as I fell when I felt a hand catch my waist and another hand on my wrist.

"You have to be careful, En." Mello's deep voice whispered into my ear after I had been pulled up. I closed my eyes at the sound of it. "You could unwanted attention drawn to us."

"I'm sorry. My shoe got stuck…" I whispered back as we were leaving.

We caught up with Tease and Brother, following Takada from a safe distance. Mello's grip on my wrist gradually loosened and slid down to my hand as we weaved through the crowded Japanese streets. Tease glanced back, noticing us. She gave me a curious yet concerned look before turning back around. We watched as Takada turned into a building. Noticing it was our hotel, we kept walking as to not raise suspicion.

"Well, that was a bust." Matt said. "We talked the whole time a didn't notice anything she did or said."

"We have more time. It's not like Kira can get any stronger over night, right?" Tease asked casually.

"Wrong. He's getting more and more supporters every day." Mello spat. "Besides, what if she contacted Light and we missed it, huh?"

"I'm sorry." I mumbled. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have brought up a subject that would've obviously distracted us as bad as it did."

"It's alright, En. We're to blame, too. We could've easily said 'let's save that for later', but we didn't. _If_ we happened to miss something, which I doubt we did, we're all at fault." Tease said, laying a hand on my shoulder. I flashed a believable smile at her, continuing forward until Mello said it should be safe to return.

We all flew into the room, discarding the wigs and changing into pajamas for the night. Instead of going back out with the others, I stayed in my room to remove my make-up and relax a little. I put my iPod in, playing the soundtrack to 'Repo! The Genetic Opera'. I kept only one earbud in just in case someone came into the room and needed my attention.

As I finished removing my make-up, I heard the door open. I expected to see Mello stride in, but instead it was my other half. I turned myself to him.

"Hey, you know what's fun? Knocking before entering a room." I tossed a pillow at him as she barely shut the door and threw himself on the bed.

"Sorry." He put the pillow behind his head. "So, do you enjoy watching Takada more than Misa?"

"We've barely watched her, Matt. I can't decide yet." I laughed.

"Right, right." He let a small silence pass before asking, "So, are you going to tell me what's up with you and Mello yet?"

I groaned, turning my back to the door to face him. "There is _nothing_ between me and Mello, and that is the last time I'm saying it, Brother!"

Matt was about to say something when he glanced behind me and began snickering.

"What?" I asked, becoming frustrated. "What's so funny?"

He simply pointed behind me as he tried to recollect himself. I followed his finger, seeing Tease and Mello standing in the doorframe. Tease had a large, amused smile on her lips. Mello was staring straight at me with a single eyebrow arched. I felt my face warming up as I fell backward beside Matt.

"…Denial…" Tease sang in a voice just barely above a whisper.

I gasped, squealing lightly in embarrassment. "I'm not denying anything. I mean- there's nothing to deny! Au au!" I covered my reddening face with a pillow as I whimpered into it.

"Oh, I think there is _plenty_ for you to deny, Envy!" She pushed.

"Is not! Is not, is not, is not!" I ran off the bed, locking myself in the bathroom as she continued to harass me through the door.

I could just barely hear Matt past her voice say, "Damn…déjà vu. The only difference here is that I'm not involved."

**.::~Author's Note~::. **

**I am seriously sorry how long this took…I didn't think that I would be this bad at posting this chapter. I'm going to hope that I can post 18 sooner rather than later, but there really are no guarantees…Again, I'm sorry and I hope those of you who have read this far enjoy this chapter! Things aren't nearly over yet, so be prepared for at least 25 chapters! :D By the way, please review? **


	18. Betrayal: Part 1

Chapter 18:

Betrayal- Part 1

We had only watched Takada that first day and night, and I had already decided that she would be more boring than Misa. She just seemed so…plain. At least Misa had an interesting background. I was so disinterested in keeping up with Takada that instead of following Mello's usual orders, I found myself getting more side tracked than usual (a habit of which drove Mello to the edge of insanity).

On the first official day of watching the new Kira Spokesperson, I received a phone call from a blocked number. Excusing myself, I answered the random quietly.

"Good afternoon, Envy. I need your opinion on something rather important."

"Of course, Near. What is it?"

"Not over the phone. I'd like to meet in private, please."

"Private?" I repeated as curiosity spiked. "Um, yeah. Sure. When and where?"

"Six thirty tonight. Why don't we meet at the park in front of the jewelry store?"

"Are you sure meeting in such a place will be safe?"

"I'm sure. We'll be safe." He paused for a moment before saying, "I must go. I'll see you tonight."

I quietly shut my phone, wondering what he could be wanting that was so important that we'd have to meet in person. With a huff, I walked back out to the living room. Matt was preparing tea in the kitchen. Tease was no where to be seen. Mello was watching me intently from his seat as I sat back down myself. I locked eyes with him. He deserved to know that it was Near who called, but yet I knew I couldn't tell.

"Wrong number." I smiled a little, moving over to look at a screen in front of him. Takada sat on a couch reading a magazine. "Matt got the bug in this morning, I see."

"Yeah."

We watched in silence as she'd glance at a cell phone sitting on the coffee table in front of her every few minutes.

I finally asked, "You see her doing that, too, right?"

Mello barely nodded. I looked up as Tease shuffled in the room, falling on the other end of the couch and curling up. Mello stood up, looking directly at her as he spoke.

"Get up."

"Huh?"

"We have a mission today."

"What are you talking about, Blondie?"

He turned the screen around, showing her Takada. "She's heading out today. A walk or something like that. You and I are going to follow her."

"Why do I have to go? Why not take E or Matt? They'd probably be of more use to than me, anyway."

"Matt has to keep up with the video feed." Mello excused.

"And Envy?" Tease pushed as they both ended up looking at me.

A small silence passed before I spoke up with my own excuse. "I still have some extra research to do on her, so I can't go."

From my left, I felt my brother's gaze on me. I glanced at his as he closed his eyes and took a sip of his freshly made tea. I lowered my gaze. I heard Tease sigh loudly as she got up to go change, Mello straight behind her to change himself. We vaguely heard him demand she wear a wig and large sunglasses. I pulled myself off the couch to go over to Matt. I leaned against the table next to him.

"What was with the look?"

"Look?"

"Don't play innocent, brother."

He sat back, pushing his goggles up. "You and him both know that no more research on her needs to be done. We found all we can on her."

"…I know." I hopped on the table, hanging my head down.

"What's going on, sis? One moment, you two are fine, flirting even! The next minute you're not speaking to each other, then you're at each other's throats. Tell me why."

I watched him in silence as his emerald eyes stared into my grey-blue ones. His eyes were filled with curiosity and concern. I felt my brows furrow and my lips form a frown. I hated giving him any reason to be concerned or worried. I shut my eyes, giving into the pressure. I opened my mouth to admit (almost) everything when the other duo walked back in.

"We'll be back later. Tease has her necklace cam on if you get curious." Mello stated as he messed with the wig upon his head.

Both him and Tease wore wigs. Tease had bubble gum pink hair, most of which was hidden by a black Victoria's Secret hoodie. Mello had chosen a deep blue, almost black, wig, sunglasses that covered most of his face, and a newer red jacket with white fur surrounding the edge of the hood.

"We'll be watching." I said quietly. He stopped moving, obviously not expecting _me_ to respond.

"Eventually, at least." Matt mumbled behind me. Mello's eyes still stayed trained on me as he slowly nodded before leaving with Tease.

"Now, sis. Where were we, exactly?" Matt asked the second the door shut. Rolling my eyes, I turned to him.

"It's all Mello's fault." I started. "He told me at Christmas that his old feelings were bubbling back up. Then, to fix it or something, we, uhm…"

"You 'uhm' what? What happened?"

"…You can't get brotherly, alright?"

"Alright, that worries me a little, sis…what the hell happened?"

"I just don't want you to stress…" I looked away from him. "We kissed…"

"Oh, thank God!" Matt called out, relaxing back into his seat. "I thought you guys might've done something really stupid and bad."

I simply stayed quiet, not sure what to make of his reaction. I could only stare as he stood up and took care of his now empty cup.

"So, if it was just a kiss, why are you both acting like twits?"

"Like I said: it's all Mello's fault. He decides when he wants to act normal and I go along with it."

"Whatever." He turned to me, a half smile on his face. "Say, why don't we listen to music and have fun like the old days?"

.::/ Mello's P.O.V. \\::.

We weaved through the crowds, trying to keep Takada in our sights. It was a pain. That woman moved faster than you'd think. Both of us were incredibly relieved when she rested in a small park. We leaned against a building so we'd be out of her sight, but still be able to see her ourselves.

"She still has yet to contact Light or anyone that could have any ties to him…" Tease pointed out.

"I know." I grit my teeth as the irritation bit at me. My impatience was on the rise as well when I noticed Tease glance at me from the corner of my eye.

"Are you going to take your anger out on Envy when we get back?" She whispered.

My breathing stopped as I looked at her. "…Excuse me?"

She kept her eyes forward. "Did I stutter? To release your anger from today will you end up yelling at Envy again for no good, honest reason?"

I watched her, getting more frustrated with a little bit of confusion. "I haven't done that to her-"

"Yes you have!" She barked, stepping right in front of me. "Every single time you get frustrated lately, she tries to help you out and lift your stress, but you just take it all out on her."

We stared each other down as people passed and wondered what was wrong with us. I noticed the cheerful gaze that was normally in her eyes had faded and she held nothing but resentment for me at the moment.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why what?"

"Why do you act so bipolar around her? Tell me why."

"It's none of your concern." I tried to step around her.

"If you keep treating her so badly, it will become my concern. She's my best friend and I won't stand for your attitude toward her. I'll do anything for her, just like you'll do anything for Matt."

"…Fine. Want to know my problem? I'm confused, alright?" I tried walking again, but she gripped my arm.

"Mello. Talk to me. Her voice no longer harsh, but some-what pleading. I sighed, pulling her along as Takada continued her walk.

"Remember how she and I would act at Wammy's?"

"Yeah. Continuous flirting. What of it?"

"What else would have called it then?"

"Hmm…well, I thought you guys loved each other, but just didn't know it…I didn't really put a label on it."

I stayed silent, waiting for her to come to the conclusion all on her own. At least twenty seconds passed before she gasped.

"No way! Do you really-"

"Don't say it. But yes."

"When did you realize?"

"Christmas."

"You should tell her…"

"Why should I?"

"She ahs a right to know. Besides, it might help lift some stress off your shoulders." She sounded more chipper already.

"Right…"

"By the way, have you talked to Near since Christmas?"

"No, and I don't want to. His arrogance and flirting with Envy annoys the living daylights out of me. I like to have as little contact with him as possible."

"Oh…alright, then."

Giving up on Takada, we went back to the hotel room. Upon entering, we were greeted with the sight of Matt and Envy singing and dancing around to "Geek in the Pink" by Jason Mraz. We stopped and froze, staring as they both slowly came to the realization we were watching them. They both progressively got quiet and sat down on the couch after turning the music off. Tease started laughing, discarding her wig as she entered the room and snuggled next to Matt. After shutting the door, I threw off my wig and sat closer to Envy than usual.

.::/ Envy's P.O.V. \\::.

After Matt and I had been caught embarrassing ourselves by goofing off and had settled down, I jumped up.

"What time is it?"

"a little after six o' clock. Why?" Tease questioned as I grabbed my brother's jacket instead of my own.

"Curiosity." I stepped to the door. "I'm gonna go for a small walk, alright?"

"W-would, um, you like some company?" Mello abruptly asked. His face seemed to have a slight pink blush sweeping across his face.

My heart fluttered. My stomach did back flips. My face warmed up a little. I adored when he blushed, considering it was a rare sight to see. My mind was screaming at me to tell him 'yes' and let him walk alongside me for however long we both wished. Alas, the smarter half of me told me to deny him considering I was sneaking off to see Near without any of them knowing.

_Private._ "Uh…n-no…I'm sorry. I'd like to be alone for awhile. I have my phone if you guys need me, though. Bye!" I sped out of there, felling horrible for leaving him there like that, but it couldn't be avoided. It would've made my week to go on a nice quiet walk with Mello, and Mello alone, while he was in a good mood. Besides, Near said he wanted it to be private, so bringing anyone along would have ended badly, especially if it had been Mello.

As I walked down the streets, I noticed it was emptier than usual. The reason then hit my mind. Kira. Since Kira's rise in killings, the night life had pretty been killed. If it was like this here, one could only imagine how the over-dramatic states were acting now. Being pulled from my thoughts, I couldn't help but notice a gorgeous silver cross with a shimmering turquoise gem in the middle of the charm hanging in a display case of a jewelry store. With a sigh of awe, I continued on until I found Near.

He sat in the middle of an empty park, but he wasn't alone. Standing beside him was…Mogi? How in the hell did he and Mogi know each other? I pulled my hood up, walking over to them.

"Good evening, Envy. Or would I rather I call you 'Alex'?"

"What?" Mogi asked, looking at me more intently.

I pushed my hood down, looking only at Near. "How do you know each other?"

"Mogi here works with Light Yagami, but don't worry. He has full loyalty to us and the case. He even suspects Yagami himself."

"_You_ are the Envy he talks about?" Mogi asked, still not being able to process everything.

"…Yes. I'm sorry that I lied. I'm with some others who are working on this case and Misa was our subject of interest for awhile."

"Who are these others?"

"Later, Mr. Mogi." Near said. "Please, have a seat, Envy."

I sat down in front of him. "What did you call me here for, Near?"

"Have you confessed yet?"

I made a noise of shock, looking away. "N-no…not yet. Is that why you called me here?"

"Only partially. The other reason is to discuss an idea on catching Kira, possibly in the act of trying to commit a crime.

"Catch Kira?" I looked between the two men. "You can't be serious, can you?"

"As serious as his crimes." Mogi said.

"…Alright. Lay it on me, Cotton Ball." I waved my hand lightly, signaling I was ready as I leaned back to listen to his explanation.

.::/ Mello's P.O.V. \\::.

An hour and a half had passed since Envy went on her "small walk" and I was growing worried. She had yet to call or text or anything to check in with nay of us and it was nagging at me. What if she had gotten hurt? I should've gone with her, anyway, to ensure her safety. Even though I was worried, Matt and Tease were incredibly calm. I didn't see how. There were tons of filth on the street, especially at night.

"I'm going to look for her." I got up, grabbing my coat and leaving without another word.

"Mello! Didn't you hear us? She'll be fine out there. She used to walk home by herself all the time before we reunited." Tease said, catching up to me in the hall.

"I don't care. I put my gloves on as I kept walking. "If I find her, I can confess in private, anyway."

"You're really going to do it?" Her voice dripped with excitement.

"Yeah. I am. Now, can I go so I can tell her?"

"Right, yeah! Good luck!" She called running back to the room.

I continued on, leaving the hotel and roaming the streets. Looking around, I couldn't help but think about how much Kira's actions had killed Japan's nightlife. Not a soul was around. I didn't see much of anyone out, and it was only seven thirty. It's not much of a shock if you think about it. Most crimes happen at night, and when Kira began punishing criminals, it was mostly the robbers and rapists that would strike at night. Anyone with common sense would expect a decrease in night time activity as Kira's reign increased.

I paused in my search for Envy when a display case caught my eye. In the middle of a spotlight, there was a stunning silver cross necklace hanging off a delicate silver chain. In the center of the cross, a turquoise gem was glistening in the light. It looked like something Envy would enjoy. Now that I thought about it, her original necklace was getting old. Maybe, if things went the way I wanted, I would come back here in my spare time and get it for her as early birthday present.

I stiffened for a moment when I caught myself smiling at the thought of getting gifts for her and seeing the way her face lights up in excitement. Running a hand through my hair, I turned and kept walking to look for her. I didn't get very far before my eyes caught sight of her.

"What the hell…?" I whispered to myself.

Envy stood in the middle of a small park, but she wasn't alone. She and Near stood to close together for my likings. I felt the anger beginning to nip at my insides. She lied. She lied about wanting to go on a small walk. She lied about wanting to be alone. There was no chance they just happened to run into each other. The anger seemed to grow as I watched them hug, his hands resting almost at the small of her back. The worst part that got to me the most was when she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Right then and there, the anger in me dissolved into pure and bitter betrayal. It punched me right in the gut. I couldn't tear my eyes off of her as she watched that white haired bastard climb into the back of a car and leave. She finally turned around. She didn't waste a second in spotting me. The world seemed to stop. It was just the two of us in my world. Unfortunately, that world had just cracked. I felt my body starting to shake slightly. The street light I was under flickered a few times before going out.

I turned away from her, walking as fast as I could without breaking out into a full blown sprint. I didn't want to be near her. I didn't want to _look_ at her. I may love her with all my heart, but right now, she was nothing to me.


	19. Betrayal: Part 2

Chapter 19:

Betrayal- Part 2

_Recap: __Mello's P.O.V._

_The world stopped. It was just us in my world. Unfortunately, though, that world had just shattered. I turned from her, walking as fast as I could. I didn't want to _look_ at her. I may love her with all my heart, but right now she was nothing to me. _

.::/ Envy's P.O.V \\::.

I sat calmly in place as Near explained his entire plan out to me. It was a good plan, but it just sounded too…out-there. Nonetheless, I patiently waited for him to finish his explanation. Mogi eventually sat down beside Near, eyeing me over in the process.

"So, what are your thoughts?" Near asked.

"Well…honestly, it's a very good plan. You've clearly thought out every little possible detail on how to carry out the tasks…but I think it would pointless."

"Pointless?"

"Yes. There are several flaws that I can already pinpoint."

He seemed to think for a slight moment. "Yes, I can see the flaws you see. You must understand, though, I was properly ranked. I have solutions."

Mogi looked between us as we bantered, obviously astounded such teenagers could speak in refined tones with one another like we were. I smiled a little at this before returning my attention to Near.

"Even so, Near, how do you know that a compromise such as the one you speak of could even go into consideration? It seems like a farfetched dream if you ask me."

"A dream it may be, but all dreams come true eventually."

"So nightmares can become reality, too?" I shook my head, getting back on topic. "Chances are you could get my brother to agree with you, but as for…" I hesitated, glancing at Mogi. Near nodded in approval. "But as for Mello, he's already said on multiple occasions that he has no intentions of working with you. You will not easily receive his cooperation."

"A challenge in which I'm willing to accept." He smirked broadly with his statement.

I sighed. He was intent on getting his way. "…Think about it for awhile before contacting them, all right? I don't want anything unnecessary happening. Not in those conditions."

"Of course, Envy. Now, before we continue any further, Mogi. I'm sure you have some questions for Envy?"

Mogi straightened up. "Y-yes. Al- um, Envy. Would you mind telling me your connections to Mello?"

I stared at him for a moment before looking down. A small smile appeared on my lips. "We met at Wammy's House when my brother and I first arrived. I've known him for more than half of my life. He's one of my best friends."

"And who is your brother exactly?"

"Matt."

"Another familiar name. And Lynn. Is that the girl's real name? Or is she that other girl Near talks about? Flirt, or something like that…"

I chuckled a little. "I believe you mean Tease."

"Yes, her. Is she a childhood friend as well?"

"Yes, she is."

"Alright, I think that should be enough for tonight. Mogi, would you mind getting the car, please?" Near interrupted.

"Yes, sir." Mogi turned to me. "It was nice seeing you again, Envy."

"Now, Envy." Near started when Mogi was out of ear shot. "When do you plan on confessing?"

"…I don't know. I'm not sure how I should do it, actually…"

"It doesn't have to be thought out. Some of the best love confessions have been spontaneous, you know. As long as you're honest and straight forward with him, you'll face no problems."

"You really think so?"

"I know so." He smiled a little as he twirled some hair between his fingers.

"Near, you're a sweetie." I smiled lightly at him as we both stood when the car pulled up. Before he could get in, I pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you, Cotton Ball. You're always there for me when I need help." As we pulled out of each other's grasp, I gave him a peck on the cheek. I giggled a little as an incredibly pale blush tainted his pale face.

I watched him enter the car and ride away. With a quiet sigh, I turned around to leave. I wished I hadn't turned around. My heart suddenly stopped and my stomach muscles clenched up.

Mello was standing directly under a street light staring right at me. Did he follow me here or something? How long had he been standing there? How much did he see? In any matter, how could I get myself out of this? I could just tell him we just happened to bump into each other. No. He'd never buy that. I have no other choice but to just be honest with him. He didn't deserve to be lied to, anyhow.

The light above him flickered a few times before finally giving out. The second the light switched off, he turned and was speed walking away from me. I had to run to keep up with his long, quick strides.

"Mello. Mello! Please, wait. I can explain-"

"Explain what?" He kept his pace and his eyes forward.

I couldn't form words. They were right in my throat, but I couldn't get them out for one reason or another.

"So, you can't tell me why you were with him?" He stopped, turning to me. "You can't tell me why you _lied_? You really can't tell me why you lied straight to my face about wanting to be alone and then turn around and fucking meet _Near_?" The fury in his eyes were obvious. It was more frightening than the day he scared me so bad at the old base…

"…H-he said that he wanted it to be private, so-"

"Whoa, whoa. What? He said? When did he contact you?" He stared me down as the pieces slowly connected in his mind. "He was the 'wrong number' from today."

"I…I'm sorry, Mello. I just…I…"

"No. Screw it. You've done it this time. I'm done." He dropped his gaze to the pavement below. For a slight moment, I thought I saw a glisten of tears building in his eyes. I brushed it off, blaming my imagination.

"Mello, please." I whispered. "I'm truly sorry. I promise I won't see him or talk to him again without informing you."

He turned his back to me. "Don't…you're dead to me right now." He began storming off again. I started after him, tripping over the curb. As I feel to me knees, I gripped his gloved hand as tight as I could. The tears came pouring out, burning my eyes and blinding me.

"Please, don't say that…Mello, I need you in my life, but I also need Near. He's always been there for me, even when I said I wanted to be alone. He knew I was lying all those times, and helped me. You're the most important person to me…I can't lose you over…over something like this…"

I felt his hand tighten around mine. For a moment, my heart was lifted and filed with hope. To my dismay, though, he yanked his hand out of my grasp.

"…Maybe you should've thought about that before sneaking around."

I watched him continue walking, utterly shocked that he was being so bitter toward me. I could understand him being angry about my lying. I could understand him being angry at my meeting with Near. But I just couldn't grasp why he was _this_ angry with me…he was acting like a scorned lover…

I stayed on the sidewalk for five minutes more as I cried to myself. I eventually noticed that I hurt myself when I fell. There were small blood spots beginning to seep through my jeans. Picking myself up, I carefully walked back to the hotel to clean myself up.

The room was quiet except for the television running. I kept my head down as I dragged myself past Tease and Matt. I felt their eyes on me as I slightly limped to my bedroom. No one was there. Mello hadn't returned. Where could he have gone?

I sat on the bed after I took my jeans off and replaced them with a pair of pajama pants. I moved ever so slowly to remove my necklace for the night. I stared at the golden piece of jewelry in my palm. My fingers curled around the charm as a knock came to the door. It creeped open, showing an anxiously ecstatic Tease. Her enthusiasm dulled when she sensed my mood.

"What's wrong?" She sat next to me.

"I'm dead."

"…What?"

"To Mello. I'm dead in his eyes." She watched me, waiting for an explanation. "I met with Near tonight to hear some plan of his involving the case. Mello saw as we were parting ways. I tried to explain, but he wouldn't listen."

She looked off, a secretive gloss covering her eyes. She knew something I didn't. "I'll talk to him later."

"You don't have-"

"I do. Just trust me, okay?" she smiled before lifting herself up to glide to the door.

"Oh, Tease? Do you know where he might be or when he'll back?"

"Not a clue. If he's not back soon, though, he'll be safe from my wrath until morning." She chuckled as I smiled a little.

As soon as she left, I lifted my pants legs up to inspect the damage on my knees. They weren't too bad, but with my sensitive skin, I'd have some pretty ugly bruises. To steer clear of any kind of infection, I cleaned the cuts and covered them up. Making sure they'd be secure when I walked, I went back into my room and grabbed my iPod. I began listening to "Don't Speak" by No Doubt. A depressing song for a depressing mood. I couldn't help it. I had just been told by my best friend and first love that I was dead to him. It hurt.

I eventually moved out into the living room with the other two. Tease was asleep in Matt's lap as he watched some show. I smiled a little at how cute they looked together. Matt nodded at me when I sat on the couch with them.

"Sis, you know where Mello is? It's almost midnight and we haven't heard from him since he went looking for you." My brother whispered.

I shook my head. "I haven't a clue."

"Damn. Well, okay. I'm taking her to bed. If you're still up whenever he decides to come back, find out where he's been, alright?"

"Right. Goodnight."

He picked up his Sleeping Beauty bridal style and left me with my thoughts.

Why was this happening to me? Why did my two best guy friends have to be rivals and hate each other? Well, Near has never directly said he hates Mello. If you ask me, he kind of looks up to him. I even told Mello that once, but he only scoffed and said 'nonsense'.

How would things have turned out if L had chosen one of them before his death? Scratch that. How would things have turned out if _L never died_? Would they still act the way they do? Not as badly at least. They'd still have small competitions with one another, but they wouldn't be playing such a dangerous game like now.

Is fate the real culprit behind this? Or can I keep blaming Kira? Kira is the reason L is dead. Kira is the reason all of this happening. But…who is to say fate didn't have a starring role in any of this? Maybe it was fate that gave Kira the killer notebook? Either way, I hate it. Either way, Mello is still pissed at me. I really can't blame him. I've lied to him. I looked him straight in the eye and told him a flat out lie. He has a every right to be angry with me. The only thing that bothers me, though, were the tears I thought I saw. My guy was telling my it wasn't my imagination. Why would he any reason to cry?

After confusing myself, I gave up on thinking about and tried to wait for Mello's return.

.::/ Mello's P.O.V. \\::.

After storming off from Envy in the middle of the street, I found a bar that was still open. Thankfully, I was one of six people in the whole place. I hated crowds. I hated them even more when I was in a bitter mood. Pulling my hood up, I sat down at the bar. I flashed the bartender my fake I.D. as I ordered something and sunk into my thoughts.

I almost cried. I almost cried and she noticed it. I'm stronger than that. I need to keep myself held together better, especially around her. With a silent growl, I downed the first drink that was set in front of me, instantly ordering another one.

Why does she feel the need to keep meeting and speaking with that big headed twit? If she wanted to see him that badly, maybe she really should've left!…

"_Mello, I need you in my life, but I also need Near."_

That's what she said. But why? Shouldn't I be all she needs? Then, in the back of my mind, a small voice stuck out: You left her. That's right…she was crying and even asked me not to leave her when I left Wammy's, but I went anyway. I thought back to when we reunited, remembering she said that she mainly stayed by herself after I left, then in our fight just minutes ago, she mentioned that he was there for her when she needed someone. He was able to tell when she was hurting, even if she said she was fine and just wanted some alone time.

I sank into my seat as a thought hit me: leaving strengthened their bond. I chugged the rest of my drink, getting more and more pissed at…well, myself, now. After a few more drinks, some more angering thoughts, and noticing it was one thirty in the morning, I started walking back.

I entered the room as quietly as possible when I saw all the lights were out. The only light in the room was the still running television. I went to turn it off when I realized someone was sleeping on the couch. A bright commercial came on, illuminating the room and the slumbering pale face of the couch. I sighed as Envy groaned quietly and shivered in her sleep.

Feeling a spark of guilt run through my being, I fetched a blanket and draped it over her. I silently watched her as she cuddled in the blanket and settled back into her spot. I couldn't lie to myself; she looked beyond adorable. Before I knew what I was doing, I took her glasses off for her then brushed her bangs out of her eyes. My fingers lingered on her cheek as she seemed to lean into my touch.

With another sigh, I moved away from her. I watched her for a moment more as she slept peacefully. I left the room, running a hand through my hair. I had to keep reminding myself in just those few minutes that she lied. Lied about being with Near. That was close to unforgivable by now. I couldn't, I shouldn't, _I wouldn't_ apologize to her, no matter what my heart was telling me to do right now. But…

Damn it! I have no clue what to do right now. After changing out of my leather attire into a tank top and some kind of pajama bottoms, I turned off all the lights in my room and laid down on my side of the bed. Hopefully, after a full night's rest and some thinking tomorrow, I'll have somewhat of an idea on how to handle this situation…

**.::~Author's Note~::.**

**Alright! It's been done! I'm sure some of you might be upset with this, but I felt like they just needed one more big fight! But…was it too dramatic? Feedback would seriously be helpful…on a completely different note, I was listening to music while typing this (like usual) and I noticed that the song "Gomensai" by t.A.T.u kind of fits for Envy right now O.o**

***ehem* Moving on, then! Chapter 20 is going to be in Matt's P.O.V. Why? Because I feel like it ;) It will definitely be posted some time in March since February is close to ending and I really only type on weekends anymore…**

**Rate and Review? Please, and thank you! ^_^**


	20. The Truth Is Revealed

Chapter 20:

The Truth Is Revealed

.::/ Matt's P.O.V \\::.

It's one thing to be a friend of two people who are on bad terms, but to be related to one is an entirely different story in itself.

Envy and Mello have been at it again, except this time, they aren't speaking to each other. Every time one would end up in the same room with the other, Envy would duck her head down, tense up, and refuse to speak a single word. Mello, on the other hand, would instantly become kind of furious and make some lame excuse to leave. That seemed to do nothing but stir up Envy's anxiety more than usual. People think I just don't pay attention since I can be quiet, but I'm observant when it comes to those I have close ties to.

Since this was only the first day of ignorant activity between them, I decided to step up and be the brother Envy knows. I wasn't going to sit back and watch her suffer for an indefinite amount of time with the simple thought of them sorting it out themselves anytime soon. It was painfully obvious this wasn't any ordinary fight and I needed to find out why. I waited until the girls had gone out to get us lunch before making my move.

"So, what's the deal with you two this time?" I asked, leaning against the counter next to Mello. He was bent over the sink washing some dirty dishes from the previous night.

"Nothing. What are you talking about?"

"Don't say it's nothing. Your tone gives away that you're lying, for one. Second, every time En comes in the same room as you, you get pissy and leave. She just freezes up and shuts down. You can't honestly stand there and tell me it's nothing when it's obvious something is up."

"…" He paused for a moment. "We can handle it ourselves, Ma-"

"Damn it, Mello, you're not! I'm tired of this! You have too much of a temper to talk things out with anyone. And if you're in the wrong, your hubris personality won't let you step down off your damn pedestal long enough to apologize!" He glared at me as I came to an end in my small rant. "…Just tell me why you're being so cold with my sister."

"…Just leave it alone." He tried to walk out, but I stepped in front of him, blocking the doorway with my arms stretched out.

"No. I'm not standing on the sidelines anymore when my sister is in pain."

"I already said we'll handle it ourselves. You're starting to piss me off, Matt." He barked, pushing me out of the way. Letting my anger and brotherly side kick in, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall with a loud thud.

"If you'd tell me what your fucking problem is, I'd leave you alone!" I shouted.

"She lied to me, alright?" He yelled back. "I was on my way to tell her that I'm in fucking _love with her_, but she was with Near. She lied about wanting to be alone. She blew me off to be with him yesterday. That's my damn problem. I feel like she stabbed in the God damn back…"

My feelings of anger shifted to that of shock. Did Mello, my best friend, just say he was in love with Envy, my little sister? I just barely loosened my grip on his tank top, moving back a small bit.

"How would you feel?" He looked me directly in the eye. "How would feel if Tease lied about wanting to be alone then you caught her with a man you've always hated? A man that's always been able to make you go green with jealousy when he got anywhere near her and her face would light up? You'd be crushed, wouldn't you?"

I stared at him. He was right. In fact, I did have a man I was jealous of for awhile at one point in my life. I hesitantly nodded in agreement. The hands that still gripped his shirt fell down to my sides.

"…So…you're in love with my sister."

"…Yeah."

"And you were going to tell her, but your jealousy got the best of you."

"Yeah."

"Well, do me a favor, will ya?"

"Uh…sure?"

"Don't waste too much time. You know, before telling her and to hear her side of the story. We might not have much to spare."

"…Right."

Just then the girls came back in with the bags of food, giggling and gossiping like usual. They set the bags down, instantly diving in them to separate off everyone's meals. I couldn't help but just watch Tease as she smiled alongside Envy. I thought back to what me and Mello were yelling about just minutes ago before they came back. I remembered the first time I felt true jealousy.

_Tease and I were playing a video game while Envy slept in Mello's lap in the floor. I wouldn't really have minded it too much had she not been a busty thirteen year old girl and he hadn't been a hormonal thirteen year old boy. I guess I couldn't really stop them if anything happened, though. As I grimaced at my own thoughts, Tease killed my character. _

"_You're starting to lose your touch, Matty." She sang in triumph. I sat back against the wall, pushing my goggles onto my head. _

"_You wish. I let you win for once." _

"_You did not!" She screeched with a smile. _

_Below us, Envy stirred in her sleep. Mello began comforting her sleeping form as he shot a glare up at Tease. I quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, whispering in her ear to be quiet. Instead of agreeing like most normal people would do, she licked my hand._

"_I'm not germaphobic like Sis." I whispered. "You never know…I might like it."_

_As though she took me seriously or something, she licked it again, but went much slower. _

"_Oh, Lord. If I'd been serious, you'd be such a tease to me…" _

"_Then I'm named properly." She said with a wink after she moved my hand. _

_When I noticed how close our faces were to each other and that she was practically in my lap at that point, my heart beat sped up. I had never been so close to such a girl, such a _beautiful_ girl. I can't lie; it made me unbelievably nervous. As we looked into each other's eyes, it wasn't really awkward. I couldn't even fully describe the feelings. _

_Those feelings were destroyed, though, when Backup came in. Tease broke out into a huge smile as she launched herself off the bed and over to him. Her arms wrapped around his waist in an embrace, clinging to the pale man. _

"_B! I haven't seen you all day!" _

"_I know, I know. That's why I'm here. We're sneaking out."_

"_Yes!…Wait, what?" _

"_We're going out to eat." He looked down, giving her a faint smile. She smiled in return._

"_Are they coming, too?"_

_He glanced back at the rest of us. "…No. It'll be just us." _

"_So…we're going on a date?" She blushed as she spoke the words. _

"_Society would frown upon that term, dear." _

_She only stared up at him. He sighed, slumping in his posture and rubbing the back of his neck._

"_You can call it that since…I'm calling it that, too."_

_She squealed in excitement, jumping on his back and leaving with a jubilant wave. As the door shut, Envy woke. I felt my eyes narrow into an involuntary glare. He, a man already at age twenty, was taking her, a thirteen, almost fourteen, year old girl on a _date_? Didn't anyone else find that more than odd? Like, a little creepy maybe? That's considered pedophilia, for crying out loud! She shouldn't be with a guy like him. She should be aiming for a gut like…like…me? Yeah. Me…_

"Matty?"

I blinked furiously as I came back to reality. Tease was waving a hand in front of me. I smiled slightly as I caught her hand, and kissed her middle finger gently.

"Sorry, love. I was spaced out."

"You and Envy both are horrible about that." She laughed a little as she pushed my food in front of me. She took a seat across from me, beginning to pick at her food.

"So, why do you call me 'love'?"

"Good question. I assume it's because my father would call my mother that often."

"Oh. That's really sweet."

A few more minutes passed of quiet speaking until we heard the kitchen door open, Envy squeak, and things fall onto the floor. Faster than a bolt of lightening, I was at the doorframe. The first thing I noticed was the Envy leaning against the counter with a hand over her heart. Next came the drink that was spreading across the floor. Lastly, I noticed Mello standing beside me looking just as confused. I crossed my arms, slightly amused at the possibilities running through my head.

"So, what happened?" I looked at Mello, then to Envy.

"I…um, I didn't notice Mello come in until I turned around and I got scared. I wasn't expecting to see anyone there." Envy flushed in embarrassment.

"You going to be alright, Sis?"

"Y...Yeah. I'll be fine. Like I said, I just wasn't expecting to see anyone when I turned around." She turned her back to us, pulling some paper towels loose to begin cleaning the mess.

"Help her. You don't have to speak, just help her in some way." I whispered to Mello.

Without a moment's hesitation, he was by her side getting paper towels as well. I watched as he fell to his hands and knees first and began cleaning. He didn't look happy per say, but at least he was showing me that he wasn't completely against helping her. I smiled a little, leaving them to clean the kitchen, in I hoped would be, peace.

I grabbed Tease's arm when I returned to the other room and pulled her into the bedroom. I shut the door quietly, locking it. Behind me I heard ask what I was doing.

"What has Envy told you about her and Mello?"

"What?"

"She has to have told you something. You're best friends for God sake!"

She looked down at the ground, up at the wall, and down to her hands. She was becoming fidgety, too. She knew something. Question was, though: Will she tell me? She huffed, coming to a conclusion in telling me about it.

"Last night, when I went to check on her, she told me that he…"

"He…?"

"He told her she was dead in his eyes. For lying. She went to meet Near-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know that. He told me that much." I flopped on the bed beside her. "But, to go so far as to say she's dead your eyes, Mels? Too far…just plain too far. I can understand being about her lying and all that, but that's wrong."

She laid down beside me, staring up at the ceiling just as I was. "Mello's very dramatic, Matt. You know that. He's the reason people came up with the word 'melodramatic'. Things will be smoothed over between them soon. I know it will."

I laughed at her joke a little before I replied. "It better. I seriously hope the two of them kiss and make up pretty damn soon. I'm already on edge and it's only day one."

She kissed my cheek as she giggled a little. "There's no need for hope. They can never stay mad at each other for too long. They always make up with each other."

She had a point. Out of every fight I was aware they had, they always made within a week of it, no matter who was in the wrong. They couldn't suddenly stay this way and never make up…right? That would be impossible. I mean, it's Envy and Mello! They were basically meant to be, whether they admitted it or not. They were as good a couple as Ross and Rachel from Friends!…Did I really just think that? I need to stop watching Nick at Nite to get to sleep…

**.::~Author's Note~::. **

…**That took longer to post then I wanted ._. And it's so short! I swear it seemed much longer in my notebook…**

**Anyway, 21 will be up this week if not tomorrow! It's practically finished and I'm officially on Spring Break, so I have plenty of time! :D Stay loyal fans, and encourage me to continue with reviews! And tell your friends to read this! XD **

**I love you all!~**


	21. Kira Notes

Chapter 21:

Kira Notes

It's now been two days since Mello caught me speaking with Near in the park. He was still refusing to speak to me directly. Instead of becoming depressed like usual, I was becoming pissed. I understand I was "betraying him", as he sees it, by sneaking off to see Near, but our meeting was important. It actually involved the case. If he'd listen to me, he'd know that by now! But, whatever. If he wanted to act this way, fine, then! He can do as he pleases…

We all sat in the living room. Matt's eyes were glued to the laptop that showed the feed to Takada's room. I sat beside him, doing some little random searches on the television starlet. She had apparently written in a blog a few years ago that she and Yagami had actually gone on a date. On the way to their destination, though, a man had taken control over the bus. He went mad, shooting and shouting at something at the back of the bus. As he ran out when it stopped, he was hit by a car and killed. She went on to talk about how calm Light seemed the whole time…interesting…

"Whoa, we've got some action now! Did you hear her say that, Sis?"

"Huh? Hear what?"

"She and Yagami are meeting up today at around three."

"Only your supersonic hearing could catch that."

"Supersonic, huh? Just keep that in mind when you get a guy and I'm over…"

"Mail!" I squeaked, blushing like mad. I shoved him as he laughed at me. I turned my gaze to Mello when I thought I heard him growl slightly. My suspicions were confirmed by Tease glancing between us, stifling a giggle. When he and I locked eyes, I turned down to the screen, watching as our subject tidied her already clean room.

"Think they're secret lovers?" Tease thought aloud.

"…What?" Mello asked.

"Takada and Yagami. Do you think they're secret lovers?"

"I don't know. I doubt it, though. He's not what women want. Excluding Misa, at least."

I quietly scoffed with a chuckle at his comment. Like he knows what women want at this point.

"Do you find something funny?" He asked in my direction.

"…Yes. Your comment. There's no given prove he's Kira, so there is a possibility he is utterly innocent. If so, he's rather cute and definitely a man I would go for." I was lying, of course, but he didn't have to know that.

"He is Kira, though." He barked.

"Putting aside Watari and L's deaths, where's the prove?" I challenged.

He only stared (more like _glared_) at me. For once, I had left him speechless in anger. He always had something to say when pissed. Astounding! He growled lightly before storming out. I felt my lips twitch into a smirk. I felt…good about pissing him off. Yeah, I also felt shitty, but I was mainly satisfied.

All was quiet as I gently typed the keys on my laptop. Tease scooted close to me.

"Seriously? Yagami?" She whispered.

I looked at her, shaking my head with a small smile. She nodded her head, understanding the bluff. She sank back into her spot on the couch, spacing out to think of only God knows what. Matt sighed as he stretched his arms above his head, pulling them back to lay them across Tease's legs.

"Your little war is going to drive someone insane. You know that?"

"It'll be settled eventually. Until then, be a man and suck it up." I stuck my tongue out at him, giggling when he only stared at me like I was the biggest idiot he knew.

From the other room, we heard Mello call to Matt, "What was the time you heard for their meeting?"

"About three."

He came back in the room, stopping beside me. "What's your plan on listening in?"

"Wait, isn't that what the camera is for?" Tease asked.

"For any other occasion, such as simply seeing her take the notebook out and write in it. The feed is too choppy and the audio quality isn't as good as it could be for her little visit with Yagami."

"So, how are we going to get in on the action? We can't just go knock on her door and ask to watch every little thing the two of them do." Tease pointed out.

We all fell silent. It seemed none of had thought that through. How exactly were we going to hear and see this interaction?

"The air vents…"

They all gave me skeptical looks. Matt raised his goggles to his head, an eyebrow arched high.

"The…_air vents_?"

"Yeah, yeah, think about it! All of the vents are connected, aren't they? If you can find the layout of the ventilation system, I can copy it down and figure out which room is Takada's. Then, we'd have easy access to her."

Tease and Matt shared a look as they thought it over. Mello stared off at the ground in thought. Matt looked back at me, his lips turned in a smirk, and held out his fist. I smiled in return, bumping my fist with his.

"Not bad, Sister. Not bad at all." Matt mumbled as he pulled his laptop toward him. He pushed his goggles back into place just before placing his fingers on the keys.

Flopping in a chair close to him, I announced, "Time for him to hack the system."

I watched as my brother's body trembled with each hit to the keyboard. Tease leaned over, watching his fingers move at an inhuman speed and multiple windows appear and vanish on the screen. Mello took a _very_ hesitant seat beside me. I didn't expect him to do that. And I definitely didn't expect him to speak directly toward me.

"…How did you think of that?"

I shot him a quick glance. "I saw it once on an episode of 'The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'. Thought it could actually work."

After a moment, I heard him scoff at me. Ignoring his attitude, I moved next to Matt again as he demanded for someone to 'copy the damn map before the bloody bastards catch him'. Tease threw a pad of paper at me. I snatched a pen off the coffee table and copied as quickly as possible.

"Hurry, please. They're trying their damnedest to kick me out."

"I'm going as fast as I can."

"Well, go faster!"

"Don't nag me!"

Before I could tell him he was safe to retreat, the laptop crashed. We both simply stared wide eyed at the blackened screen. Matt's head dropped with a groan. I blinked a few times.

"Well…at least I finished the map."

"Yeah…there's one plus…" He pushed the laptop away, rubbing his temples. I ruffled his hair before getting up and checking out the map. Mello appeared behind me, peering over my shoulder at the sketch.

"Where's the starting point?"

Instead of answering, my brows furrowed. I tilted my head toward the area where the ceiling and wall meet, looking for our entrance. Mello followed me from room to room while I looked like an utter moron. I finally found our way in in the boys' bedroom.

"Found it. Between your beds."

"It's already two. They'll be meeting soon. Let's get started." He mumbled more to himself than me. I sighed, collecting all of Matt's cords and moving them, as well as Mello's chocolate bars and wrappers. Whoever gets to go up in the vents will need the help of the nightstand.

After twenty minutes of doing I don't know what, the boys were finally setting up. Tease and I remained on the other side of the room. When Mello sat on the nightstand and Matt collapsed onto his bed with another laptop, we knew they were ready for us to be apart of the plan.

"So, who wants to crawl around in a vent?" Matt asked, smirking.

"I'll do it." Mello volunteered. Matt sighed and placed his head in his hand as Mello removed his leather vest, revealing his scarred, toned chest. For some reason, he kept the rosary on. I locked eyes with my brother, knowing exactly what he was thinking. I voiced his thoughts before he could the chance.

"D-do you think that's a good decision? I mean…the metal in the vent would surely rip at your scar, wouldn't it? It's not totally healed yet."

He shifted to look at me. I dropped my gaze to carpet immediately. It was beyond uncomfortable to be under his gaze now.

"I can try."

"I don't know, man. I think E's right on this one. Crawling around up there can't be good for you."

"Fine, then!" He shouted. "Why don't you go up there?"

"Can't." He pet the machine next to him. "I already have a duty to attend to."

"Envy, you could go up there, right?" Tease said, a pleading look in her eye. Something told me she just didn't want to go in there because of the bugs…

"…I can't."

"Why not? You'd be better than any of us at it with how quiet you are."

"The vent's too small." Mello interjected. His voice was low, but stern, basically indirectly telling her to drop the idea. All fell silent for a moment.

"…Did you just call her fat?"

"No, you moron! If she climbed in there, her claustrophobia would make her have a panic attack!" He barked.

"Oh…right…" She turned to me. "I'm sorry…I forgot…"

"It's ok. I promise." I gave a small smile before it turned into a smirk. "But guess who the only one left is~"

"Ah, hell…"

"I'll help you up." Matt offered.

"Of course you will." I smirked.

He stuck his tongue out at me before getting up and pulling two objects out of the drawer of the nightstand. Both of them were cameras. One was Tease's necklace cam, while the other was a slim black one that stretched out pretty far and could bend.

"Before you go, T, you'll need some things."

"Like?"

"This earpiece, for starters. It's so you can hear us give you directions to her room and all that jazz." He showed her the device before helping her put it in.

"What else?"

"You'll also need a camera. You can have one or two, it doesn't matter. It might be better if you take two, though."

"Two it is, then." She smiled.

"Alright." He held out her necklace. "With this, I'd rather you wear it around your neck so we can see where you're at all times. You can wear it around your wrist if you please, though. Now this one," he held up the longer camera, "is a snake camera. It can bend every which way. This one is preferred for stuff like this. Somehow, no one notices them if they're used right. Don't let them see this under any circumstances. I can't stress that enough. If one of them sees this, we're caught."

"Right…got it. Let's do this!"

Mello moved out of their way, standing next to me, as Matt helped Tease climb into ventilation system. I glanced over at my laptop (why Matt was using it, too, I don't know) to see Light being greeted by Takada with a kiss on the cheek.

"We need to speed this up a little. Yagami's there already."

"They won't discuss business right away. She's got time." Mello assured.

As soon as Tease's tiny frame was swallowed by the darkness, Matt dashed to his other laptop and pulled up the window to her necklace cam. From the speakers her serious voice asked for the directions.

"Keep forward until forks off, then go to you right." I said into his microphone well glancing over the sketch. I pointed at where she'd end up and where the destination should be so he could tell her where to go.

He continued to give her directions. Mello opened a chocolate bar, making me jump in the silence when he'd violently snap a piece off. I kept my eyes trained on the couple, though. The feed may be choppy, but I could still the slightest glint in Light's eyes, a glint that just screamed 'I'm using you'. Why could I see it so easily, yet she was so blind to it? Oh, right. He's made her fall in love with him. She's choosing not to see it, not to believe it.

"So, Miss Takada…" Light's voice poured from the speakers. Matt had pulled up a new window for the snake cam that was now pointed at the couple. Tease had successfully found the right vent! I was thankful for this. This camera gave us a much cleaner view, and much better audio. Though, I wasn't necessarily focusing on the audio much. I was more interested in what the two were doing. Light was speaking, but he was also writing on a notepad. He held the pad out to her while continuing to speak. She took it, writing a reply as she kept up with their verbal conversation.

"What are they writing to each other about, I wonder?" I mumbled to myself.

"Let's find out." Matt tapped a key, zooming in on the scene.

"Point the camera a little to your left." Mello commanded.

She did as told, landing directly on the notepad the newswoman's hands. Matt whispered a quick 'nice work, babe' before reading with us.

" 'When did you last have contact?' 'Last night, after you called. I gave him all the information.' " I read aloud. "Who the hell are they talking about?"

"The third Kira. When we went to the twit, he said Takada was just being used as a bridge between the two, remember?"

"Right…But who is the third Kira?" I sighed.

The two continued writing notes and casually talking for almost thirty minutes. I tapped Matt, telling him to let Tease come back.

"What do you mean? Those two could-"

"You know as well as I do that they're not going to discuss anything important tonight." Besides, I haven't called our old friend in awhile and I'd like to do that before it's too late."

Mello shot me an irritated glare. I pulled my phone out, looking for the certain number.

"You do think he'd be alright with it, don't you, Brother? He might not be too keen on me calling after all this time…"

"Oh, just do it. He's always loved you. Out of us all, you were his favorite. I bet he misses your calls."

"You're right…I'll call him, then. Now, tell her to come back here before some bug comes along and bites her."

I heard him talking her back as I took off out of the room, into mine and Tease's room. I was reaching for the call button when Mello barged in.

"You're really going to call him?" His voice was dangerously low. His eyes were in a menacing glare. I kept my back straight and eyes forward, though. I didn't want to show that I was frightened under his gaze.

"Someone has to. None of us have spoken to him in a long while. I'd like to make sure he's doing alright." _With the look he's giving you, dear, he might assume you're talking about Near… _

"I'm that twit is fine!"

"…Mello. Who am I walking about? Do you know?"

"That obnoxious lamb, _Near_." His voice almost literally dripped with venom at the mention of his name.

"Wrong. Don't jump to conclusions."

"…If not him, then who?"

"Roger. I used to call him at least once every month after we left. It's been much longer than that now, though."

He dropped his gaze, a scowl still present on his face. I sat on the bed, pressing the call button. The moment I began talking with Roger, he stalked out of the room.

.::/ Mello's P.O.V. \\::.

The moment Envy began speaking with Roger, I fled the room. I embarrassed myself by assuming she meant Near. I had good reason to jump to the assumption, though! Didn't I? Yeah…yeah, I did.

"She calling Roger?" Matt called as I passed the room.

"Yeah. They're talking right now."

"Hey, you alright?"

"Peachy." I continued on into the living room, collapsing onto the couch. I closed my eyes, rubbing my temples. I really hate fighting with Envy…why did I get so jealous? Why can't I just apologize to her already?

I snapped my head up when I heard thumping. Envy appeared a moment later, a wide smile painted in her beautifully pale face.

"Where's Brother?"

"Still…in the bedroom?"

She turned, still happy as ever, back to run to the room. With a sigh, I laid back again. Lord only knows what's gotten her so hyped up this time…

"Mello~" Tease sang in her sweetest 'I-really-want-something-from-you' voice as she bounced beside me.

"…What?"

"Is there any way we could continue this investigation…in England?"

"What?" I asked, a little harsher than I meant, as I sat up. I saw behind her the twins peaking out past the corner. Matt looked a hopeful. Envy looked like she was about two seconds from breaking down and begging. I couldn't stand my ground.

"…Pack tonight so we can leave in the morning." _Man, I'm getting soft…_

Envy squealed in excitement, clapping and jumping like a little kid. Tease thanked me, running off to go pack. Matt smiled, offering to go get the tickets before something 'sucky' happened.

"I need to let Roger know." Envy thought aloud, still smiling.

"Envy, wait." _I need to apologize now before it's too late._

"Yes?" She paused, looking me straight in the eye. One would think it's impossible for a teenage girl to hold such innocence, the innocence of a child, in her eyes.

"…Ask Roger if we can stay with him." _Not only are you getting soft, you're weak, too!_

"Right!" She skipped off to call the old man. With a frustrated groan, I fell backward and covered my face with a pillow. Why couldn't I just say 'I'm sorry for being a jealous asshole' to her! Maybe Matt's right. Maybe I am a little too high up on my own pedestal…

**.::~Author's Note~::.**

**I…am…so…sorry! I'm a horrible person for making you all wait so long! TT3TT **

**I've just lost A LOT of inspiration with this…I feel like it went from 'Hey, this is pretty good with potential!' to 'Wow, you really suck. Just give up now.' So…yeah…if it count's for anything, I still have ideas and my summer vacation is about three weeks away, so I /might/ be able to get 22 and some others typed up… ^^;; Please, loves, I'm /begging/ for reviews. I need to know if this worth continuing or not :/**


	22. Homecoming

Chapter 22:

Homecoming

We were finally on our way home. It had been so long, I was basically jumping up and down the entire way to the airport, all the way through the line, and even when we found our seats on the plane. I just couldn't calm down for anything. Even Mello's sour-ish mood couldn't bring me down. We were finally going back _home_. It had been so long since I could call a place by that name the feeling was almost foreign to me.

I took my window seat next to Tease while the boys sat in a row behind us. Matt couldn't get us tickets any earlier than four in the afternoon, but we took it. Mainly because Tease and I were begging like crazy to go ahead and get them instead of making us wait any longer. Speaking of the devil, she tapped my shoulder as the plane ascended into the sky.

"Yes, Tease?" I smiled at her.

"Are you going to be okay?" She asked low enough for only us to hear. "I mean, you and Mello are still fighting, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, but it won't last forever. I don't think at least. I've already apologized for everything. It's his turn now."

"…Right…it's his turn. I'm sure it'll happen soon. Give him time." She smiled happily before turning around to talk to Matt. I stared at her for a moment wondering why she's so curious about our fighting this time. Did she know something I didn't? Eh, who cares? If she does, I'll find it out eventually. If not, then I know I'm just imagining things. With a shrug I turned to stare out the window. I waited until we were told that electronics could be taken out to listen to my music. With Mello not on (nice) speaking terms with me and Tease talking to my brother, I assumed it was safe to get lost in my own little world of thought. I chose my Paramore playlist and set it to shuffle. Today was just a Paramore kind of day, especially with my new thoughts. I don't know why, but it just fit.

The first song to come on was "That's What You Get". I sighed silently. My thoughts were about to become jumbled as one word stood out in my mind along with the music; Mello. Why, of all people, did my heart choose to fall for him? Why did I ever let my heart do the thinking instead of my brain? Would our fight have still happened whether I felt this way for him or not? Crap. I don't have the answers to any of those questions. Okay, I just lied. I know why I fell for him. I fell for him because of his personality. I fell for the way he scowls when he's displeased. I fell for the way his features relax when he's concentrating. I fell for the way he ties his hair back when he's cooking or working on something. I fell for the way he'd smirk at me when a crazy idea would hit him or he when decided to taunt me. I fell for the way he could be the one to piss me off then calm me down right after. I just fell for _him_.

Somehow my thoughts had been prolonged enough for the sun to be setting when Tease brought me back to reality by announcing she was going to the bathroom. I checked my playlist. I had gone through the whole thing once and it was already repeating songs. I hung my head with a sigh. I changed the setting so all songs were put on shuffle before turning back to watch the sunset. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I jumped in surprise. Feeling a light sting of embarrassment I made sure no one had seen me as I pulled my phone out. I felt my brows furrow in slight confusion at the sight of Mello's name on my screen. I opened the text message anyway.

"…**Could I sit by you while T's in the bathroom?" **

Why didn't he just do it anyway? Why ask permission first? **"Sure."**

A moment later the blonde was by my side. To say the least it was awkward. I brushed my hair behind my ears, my lips pursing when my bangs refused to follow the rest. I moved them from my eyes, waiting for him to say something. I stole a glance. He was staring rather intently at the seat in front of him. His hands kept clenching into fists, then relaxing, then clenching again; his nervous habit. I stared down at my lap. What does he want?

I looked up at him when I heard him mumbled under his breath. "…P-pardon?"

"…I said: I'm…omry." He mumbled once more.

"You're mumbling, Mello. I can't understand you."

"I'm sorry, ok?" His voice was quiet. It wasn't harsh. It wasn't threatening. In fact, I'm not sure you could ask me what it was on the count I had never really heard the tone he used. "…I didn't mean to act like a spoiled child. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did."

"Damn straight you shouldn't have. I didn't deserve the way you acted over my seeing a friend. I deserved a chance to explain and not get told that I was dead to you. I would've understood if you simply didn't want to talk to me for a while, but you went a little too far." I don't know what possessed me to speak like that to him. It not only shocked him, but me, too. My proud, brave shoulders slumped when I saw the hurt on his face. He looked around as his body shifted in the seat, signaling how uncomfortable he was now. "Why did you follow me, anyway?"

"You said that your walk wouldn't take long, but you had been gone for an hour. I, um…I got worried. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Oh."

"…So…why were you with Near?"

"He called me earlier that day saying that he wanted to talk to me about something involving the case, but I had to be alone. I agreed and even if I for some reason wanted to tell I knew I couldn't tell Matt or Tease because they'd want to come. I couldn't tell you because of…well, obvious reasons."

"What did he say about the case?"

"Can't say. Knowing him, he's already made up his mind, so if he follows my request then there you'll know in a few days, anyway. Hopefully I'm wrong, though, and he won't contact us at all. Either way, leave it alone, please."

We both went silent again. My gaze returned to the sky. I heard Tease's voice behind me. She must've returned a few minutes ago. I was about to turn back to her when a hand nervously hovered over mine. I turned and met Mello's gaze. He had a look I hadn't seen since our Wammy days. It was a look of such innocence…

"Are…are we…" He started. Concern mixed with the innocent look on his face.

"Alright?" I finished for him. He nodded slowly. "…Yeah. We're alright."

A small smile broke his concerned look. His hand changed from barely hovering over my own to grasping it lightly. I couldn't help but return his smile. A minute hadn't even passed when I felt my phone vibrate in my lap again. We both stared down at the screen. Tease was texting me. I let him pick up my phone and read it with me.

"**I'm glad you two are friends again, E, I really am. But I'm by the window back here, so tell Barbie to GIVE. MY. SEAT. BACK."**

I smirked up at him as he glared at the screen. He calmly texted her back. **"Screw you. Make Matt switch with you." **

"Why do you let him take your phone?" Tease complained from behind us a few seconds later. I laughed lightly. I moved to sit on my knees and smile back at her.

"I let anyone take my phone. I'm not responsible for what happens when it's not in my care."

She rolled her eyes, pulled the little curtain thing down to the window, and turned into Matt. Mello at this point had turn to look at them, too. Matt put his arm around her as he looked between the two of us.

"How do you think Roger will react to us?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Mello turned to a more comfortable position.

"Well, all four of us have changed a pretty decent amount. Some more than others." He gave Mello and me certain looks. I rolled my eyes, resting my head on my arms as he continued. "Just look at us. Sis, the last time he saw you, your hair was almost straight and down to your ass. Now your hair is just past your shoulders, a little wavy, _and_ you have a nose stud. The last time he saw Mello his hair was shorter and he hadn't started wearing leather yet. The last time he saw Tease, her hair was longer and wasn't as dark as it is now. I'm pretty sure she's tanner now, too."

"How have you changed?" Tease challenged as she looked up.

"Hm…I guess I haven't." He smirked back.

I went back to the previous conversation before it was forgotten. "I don't know…he might be a little shocked at first and ask what brought the changes on."

"So, are we just going back to visit him or is there any other reason we're going back to London?" Mello asked. I locked eyes with Matt as soon the question had left Mello's mouth. In that moment, I felt I could read his mind and what I read was: Lie.

"Just going to visit. He's getting older and no one knows how many children are left over there. It has to be lonely."

"Excuse me, ma'am?" A stewardess asked from beside Mello. I looked up at her. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you not to sit like that. Thank you." She walked off without letting us get a single word in. I stared after her. I looked back to my friends.

"I'm going to have to ask you not to sit like that. Thank you." I mocked in a higher toned voice before plopping down into my seat. The couple behind us began chuckling at me. Mello turned around again with a smile.

"We still have awhile, so you might as well sleep." He rested his head back. Leading by example, I guess.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Remembering the iPod that was still going, I turned it off, placed it back in my hoodie pocket, and curled up in my seat to fall asleep.

I had slept through most of the plane ride. When I had woken up for a third time, I heard the pilot say we were landing in London. I was instantly wide awake. I began jumping in my seat, only to be stopped by Mello. I bit my lip as I smiled. When we were finally told we could get off the plane, Mello had to hold me by my waist to keep me from running. At one point I'm pretty sure he mumbled something about getting me a leash. Brushing it off, I helped claim our bags. We ventured out to the streets in search of a cab. Mello, being the most aggressive one of us, flagged one of the larger ones down for us. We tossed our luggage in the trunk, piled into the taxi, and took off toward our childhood home.

We passed so many things that sparked memories for Matt and me. We had passed a restaurant that had once been a pet store. Matt began rambling about the time we went there and I had pitched a fit because of some strange guy that was talking to me forcing our father to distract me by carrying me off to look at the birds across the store. I rolled my eyes with a small pout as our friends laughed at me. I looked out the window at almost the same time Matt did. He fell silent. I straightened up. We were passing a graveyard. Silence remained as we continued to pass it. Even after it was no longer in sight, my brother remained as quiet as me.

"You guys alright?" Tease finally asked.

"…Yeah." I chirped. "Yeah. Why wouldn't we be alright?"

She and Mello glanced at each other. "No reason…I guess."

Matt shook out of his little trance, going on to a different story from a time when we were with our parents. I kept my gaze on the passing scenery out the window. I felt Mello's eyes burning into the back of my head, but I ignored him. The ride was awkward the rest of the time.

Arriving at Wammy's, excitement returned. I was the first one out of the taxi, and the first one at the door. Matt was pulling our luggage out while Mello paid the driver. Tease appeared behind me, helping me pound on the door with fists. We were smiling ear to ear. Roger opened the door just as the taxi pulled away.

"May I help-" He stopped short, looking the two of us over. "Tease? Envy?"

"Hey, old man!" Tease beamed.

"Roger! It's been awhile, huh?" I clasped my hands behind my back happily.

"Indeed it has." He looked behind us. "I assume those two are Mello and Matt?"

"Yeah! C'mon, you should see them." I grabbed one of his hands while Tease grabbed the other. We dragged him out to the guys, who were counting the bags to make sure they all were definitely there. Matt looked up first.

"Yo, what's up, Roger?"

He looked ready to scold Matt for speaking like that, but he dropped it, smiling instead. "I was just getting a late lunch ready. Are any of you hungry, by any chance?"

"I'm starving!" Matt declared and smacked his stomach a couple times.

"I guess I'm a little hungry, too." Tease agreed.

"Well, then, let's get inside, shall we? It's rather cold out here." Roger turned to head inside, but turned back around and offered to help carry some of the bags in. We all refused, insisting we can do it ourselves. We picked up our own bags and followed him in. He told us to set them down by the door and make ourselves comfortable while he got lunch ready. With small nods from each of us, we made our way into the old sitting room. Tease and Mello sat on one of the love seats when Matt and I sat in the floor by it. I looked at everything in the room. I felt like we had stepped into a time machine. The house was still the same, minus the kids running around like mad. I felt my head tilting to the side as I pictured children of all ages in the room. I imagined young kids running through the room as some preteens played a card game on the couch opposite us.

"Envy!"

I literally jerked out of my thoughts when both Matt and Mello shouted to me. Mello's hands were on my shoulders. Roger had returned with some finger sandwiches. Everyone was watching me carefully. Mello slid down in front of me, hands still on my shoulders.

"Are you alright? That's the second time you've spaced out like that today."

_Third, actually._ "I'm fine. I promise. If something were wrong, I'd know, and I'd tell you."

He studied me for a moment longer before returning to his seat. Roger still kept his gaze on me as he allowed us to eat. We were quiet for the most part. Roger finished eating before the rest of us, clearing his throat, and asking what brought on our physical changes. Tease's answer was the same as mine: it was just time for a change. Mello, on the other hand, remained silent. He acted as though he didn't hear the question. Matt sighed at him.

He turned back to Roger with the simple response of, "Just a small accident. None of us expected it."

"Of course not." He agreed, taking the hint to not ask any further questions.

"So, where do you want us to stay?" Mello asked with a bored edge to his voice.

"Oh, can we stay in our old rooms? Please?" Tease asked. Her signature puppy dog pout broke out as she looked from Matt to Roger, back to Matt, and then back to Roger. Matt burst out laughing.

"Why are you looking at me like that? This whole place is Roger's now. He makes the choices."

The older man smiled at her eagerness. He agreed to us staying in our old rooms if that was truly what we wanted. He added quickly that we could actually stay where ever we pleased before cleaning our mess. Matt excused himself to go smoke outside. We watched his retreating figure. I stood up to follow him, telling the other two that we'll take care of our bags when we got back inside.

Stepping outside into the chilling air I already smelled the nicotine stick Matt loved so much. I crossed my arms to keep some warmth against my torso as I approached my twin. He stared down at me in surprise, considering I always complained about the smell and did all I could to keep away from him when he needed his fix. He straightened up a little when I came to a stop beside him.

"Hey, sis. What's up?"

"Don't tell the others about this, okay?"

"…What?"

I stared down at the concrete walkway. "That thing Near wanted to talk to me about…I just…I mean…would you…" I stopped myself with a huff. I snapped my eyes shut as I tried to recollect myself. "How far would you be willing to go to prove that Light is Kira?"

"Why?"

"Just answer the question…please." I half-heartedly snapped.

I heard him sigh. "As far as Mello would be willing to go. And that's pretty far."

"…That's what I thought." I felt my knees starting to go weak at the multiple chilling mental images that pressed into my mind. Before I could fall, I sat gracefully on the porch. Matt and I remained in a mutual silence, even when he finished smoking and sat on the freezing concrete next to me.

"How do you think they feel about this whole situation?"

"I don't think this is the kind of life they would have wanted for us. They're probably proud that we've been proven to be two of the smartest minds, though." He replied lightly.

"I can see that." I blinked away the slight tears that stung at my eyes. "Think we could visit their graves while we're here? As stupid as it might sound, I'd like to tell them everything's that happened."

"That doesn't sound stupid at all, Emily. I was actually thinking about doing that in the first place."

"Really?" I looked up at him. I wasn't the only one with tears threatening to spill at the memories of our beloved parents.

"Really. How about we go once we're both rested completely?"

"You have a deal, my good sir." I held my fist up. He brought his own up, bumping it with mine. "Are we going to tell Tease and Mello? They'd probably want to follow if we do."

"We probably should give them a heads up. They won't be coming, though. It's something we need to do on our own, and they should respect that."

"Yeah. They should." I inwardly sighed. We sat outside until we both began to lose feeling in our toes. With laughs at our stupidity, we got up and went inside. The other three were chatting normally in the living room. I felt a smile pricking at my lips at such a scene. My brother nudged me, picking up his bags and wanting me to do the same. I scowled playfully at him. I picked my bags up and followed him to our rooms for out stay.

**.::~Author's Notes~::.**

…**.I'm sorry. I seriously am. I didn't think it would take this long to get it written and posted. I've kinda let my A.D.D kick in with this show called Hetalia, and I've just been going crazy over it for awhile. Hopefully, with this finally done, I can get back into my Death Note craze and get this thing in motion again. I thank those of you who have stuck through with this even though I am a TERRIBLE updater! **


	23. Nostalgia

Chapter 23:

Nostalgia

Most people think that at two in the morning, everyone would be asleep. Well, those people are wrong. I laid in the darkness, staring at the old ceiling while thinking of absolutely nothing. The only noises I could hear were Tease's soft breathing and the crickets outside. Inwardly groaning, I silently stood up. I slipped on my tan moccasin house shoes and put my glasses on, sneaking into the hallway. Across the hall, I faintly heard shuffling in the boys' room. At least I wasn't the only awake. With a shrug, I wandered down the hall. The place hadn't changed at all. The only thing missing were the voices of children way up past the set bedtime for each age group.

I numbly came to a stop in the middle of the dark hallway. I blinked, taking in my surroundings. My mouth fell open some when it hit me. My feet had brought me down the hall to _that_ bathroom. I felt my stomach churn. My head slowly turned to look at the door. I leaned against the wall as the images flashed through my mind again: The blood still seeping from A's wounds…the paleness in her cheeks and lips. It was haunting enough when I first saw her. Now it was just a cruel reminder that she could never be brought back.

I clenched my eyes shut. With a shaky breath I kept walking. My fingers grazed against the wall absently. Once again, my feet took me to a place I wasn't aware I had arrived at until I stopped: Backup and Alternative's old room. Curious as to what might have become of their room, I entered. My shoulders dropped slightly when I saw it was still the same. Don't get me wrong, I was glad Roger hadn't let it be changed. Part of me, though…part of me wished that it had changed. Had it been turned into a different room, the memories wouldn't have snaked their way into my mind. I trudged to the middle of the room, sitting cross legged in the floor.

"BB…A…this is where we first met." I whispered into the vacantness. I smiled lightly. I remembered vividly the way A and BB looked when Matt and I were brought into the room. BB simply stared, mild curiosity burning in his eyes. A gave a welcoming smile contrasting the cautious glint her ocean blue eyes.

Pulling my knees to my chest the best I could I folded my arms over them. I rested my head on my arms, feeling my heart almost break all over again at their memories. Then, the tears began to form. A string of profanities filled the air when I couldn't stop them. I buried my head in arms when I gave in. I allowed myself to sob in the quietness.

"Envy. What are you doing in here so late?" Mello's voice seemed to boom. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Couldn't sleep.

"So you just happened to wind up in here?" I heard him come up behind me.

"Yep."

"Okay." He sighed. "Are you tired at all?"

"No."

"Would you like me to help you?"

"…No…"

"Doesn't sound like it…" He teased. I turned my head away from him, wiping away my trail of tears. I gathered up my strength, standing up. I looked down at the crouching Mello. He straightened up beside me, putting an arm around my shoulders, and leading me back toward our rooms. We walked silence for about a minute.

"You're not the only one who misses them, you know." He reminded me.

"I know. Coming here, though…I didn't think that it would hit me this hard."

"Matt told me that he wants to take you somewhere tomorrow. Do you know where he has planned?" He changed the subject.

"I'm not entirely sure, no." I partially lied. I knew one place we definitely going, but knowing Matt, he'd take me somewhere else.

"Oh. Alright." He stopped in between our rooms. "Well…uh…"

I chuckled at his awkwardness. "Goodnight, Mello."

"Yeah, goodnight." I felt him give a quick (and almost…_shy_) kiss to the top of my head before darted into his room for the night. I shook my head a little, going into my own room. I tiptoed to my bed, slowly sitting down. I peeled off my house shoes, putting them back in their spot. I had just taken my glasses off and slid under the blankets when I heard a voice.

"Where were you?"

I jumped, snapping up straight. I looked over in the darkness. I squinted. I could faintly make out Tease's outline. I relaxed a little. I slumped over from my erect position.

"When did you wake up?"

"The second you walked out the door. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, yeah. I just couldn't sleep."

Silence passed. I assumed she was scanning my voice for any trace of a lie. I heard her mumble a sleepy 'alright' before a soft thud and her quiet snores. I laid my head down with a smile to fall asleep.

oOoOo!HeyLookALineBreak!oOoOo

Matt and I were on our way to visit our parents' graves. The ride was silent, yet comfortable. Sometime last night it had begun snowing, carrying on throughout the day. I watched the snow fall, random pieces of memories flashing through my mind. I saw my mother holding Matt while my father helped me put a carrot on a snowman. That piece melted away to a new image. The four us were ice skating in a park. Matt and I were in the middle, our parents on either side of us to protect us from passing people. As that one faded, a third one made it's way into my memory: our last birthday with them. I could still hear our parents singing "Happy Birthday" as we stared eagerly at the candles that were ready to be blown out.

"Sis. We're here." Matt quietly announced as he exited the car. I hesitated before joining him.

Walking through the cemetery, I couldn't help but think of the song "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. Staring at the concrete angels and crosses being laced with glistening snow made me realize how warm both my parents were. They were too young, too unprepared. It wasn't fair for their friends, their children…it wasn't fair for them.

We eventually made it to our destination. We simultaneously let out a deep breath. I kneeled down into the snow in front of our mother's grave. I let my thumb run over her name. _Madison Jeevas. _I could feel Matt watching me as I leaned over to my father's grave, outlining his name with my index. _Arthur Jeevas._ Matt kneeled down next to me, removing his goggles in respect.

"It's been so long, mom…dad…" He said.

"…We miss you." I felt weird talking to them knowing that they couldn't talk back. I shook some of the weirdness away, continuing on with my thoughts. "We must have put you through some worry with everything we've been doing since we left Wammy's, huh?"

"If so, then we're sorry. By the way, there's this girl that I'm seeing now. Her name is Taylor, but we have to call her Tease until Kira's been caught." As he droned on about Tease and Mello, I spaced out. I was slowly beginning to imagine our parents sitting there in front of us smiling and listening intently to each word, almost begging for information on our lives.

"Sis also has an almost boyfriend." Matt chuckled. "I remember you making jokes about her and boys when we started school, dad."

I smirked as my nostalgia kicked in again, showing me the moment Matt mentioned…

_Matt stood in his red and blue polo shirt while my mom straightened my yellow dress. Matt slung his backpack over his shoulder once Dad handed them to us. _

"_Now, remember," Mom started, her British accent thick, "there's no shame in asking the teachers where you need to go."_

"_We know, mum!" We chimed, British accents barely noticeable in our voices. _

"_You also need to remember, Mail, that girls don't have cooties." He laughed. "And, Emily, neither do boys."_

"_Yes they do!" I argued. "All of them are icky and cootie invested!" _

"_Infested, love." My mother corrected. Matt glared at me before I caught on to what I said. _

"_You're the only boy without cooties, brother." I stood up straight. "I will never be friends with another boy! I promise!" _

"_Oh, I bet you'll change your mind one day." Dad picked me up as we went out to the car. "I also bet that you'll hug one and kiss one and marry one and-" _

"_No! Never!" I fought while the rest of them laughed._

I blinked myself out of my illusions. I felt my brows twitch up in sorrow and confusion. Sorrow because our parents weren't there to hear our stories and never will be. Confusion because of how I've been spacing out lately. I know I usually go into my own little world at times, but never this often. Maybe coming back home wasn't such a good idea…

During the rest our visit, Matt did most of the talking. Every now and again I would throw in my two cents worth, but stayed silent for the most part. We stayed until snow began falling and we couldn't feel our toes or fingers. We bid our goodbyes and promised to return before going back to the car. Matt turned the heat on full blast for our digits to regain feeling. After ten minutes of holding them against the vents, Matt put the car into drive and took off. Almost inaudible, Matt asked if I wanted to go visit our old house.

"No…we should just go back." I leaned my head against the window as the ride back seemed to flash by.

Being greeted at the door by Roger, Matt and I dashed upstairs to change out of the clothes we had gotten wet from the snow. After finding our cozy matching pajama bottoms, we went back down stairs to the others. Matt sat on the couch for Tease to crawl into his lap. I curled up against the arm rest on the other side of Mello. Taking note of the time, Roger stated that he would make dinner for us if we were interested. We agreed, all of us missing his cooking. He stood, politely excusing himself to the kitchen.

oOoOo!HeyLookALineBreak!oOoOo 

The dinner was excellent. All of us were so wrapped up in marveling at the taste of Roger's home cooking, we were silent through the first half of the meal. Mello broke the silence when he remembered something I had mentioned to him.

"Hey, Roger. Where are all of the kids?"

Roger paused in the bite he was about to take, setting his fork down. He folded his hands in front of him as though he were about to discuss a business deal.

"After L's death made it all the way through the house and the children learned no successor had truly been chosen, they gave up. They knew that you and Near were the top two choices, and since neither of you had been chosen, they figured it was a lost cause. Those who were old enough left not long after you four. The ones who weren't continued to live here until they could leave. It wasn't long until this entire house was just me."

"Oh…" Mello lowered his head, acting ashamed for asking.

"I don't mind much, though. Most of the children that stayed here were brats. At least now I can read in peace." He picked his fork up, resuming eating. "Getting the weekly to monthly calls from Envy helped, as well."

I smiled at him, feeling somewhat prideful. We continued to eat our meal in silence. After helping Roger clean the table, we all went right back into the living room. Just as we sat down, Matt's cell phone began ringing from the table beside me. He waved at me, physically telling me to answer it for him. I picked it up with a second thought.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Envy. Might I ask why you are the one answering Matt's cell phone?" Near asked in a bored tone.

"He was too far away from his phone. I'll pass it to him right now." I tossed the device to Matt, who failed to catch it. After being laughed at by Tease, he picked up the phone from the ground.

"Hel-" He started. After a moment, he pulled the phone away from his ear and turned it on speaker. "Go at it, man."

"Hello, all. Hello, Mello." He directly addressed. My eyes went wide before they narrowed. He couldn't possibly be calling for that, could he? It hasn't even been a full week!

"Hello, Near." Mello basically groaned. "What do you want from us now?"

"I have a proposition for you and Matt."

I felt my heart almost stop. I jumped up, snatching the phone from Matt's hand. "Near, are you talking about what I think you're talking about?"

"Yes, Envy, I am."

"D…did you even think about it like I asked?"

"Of course I have. I put a lot of thought into it, and I couldn't think of any other solution for-"

"Stop. Just stop. I bet you just waited a few days before calling. You didn't think about it at all."

"I did, Envy."

"Whatever. Just go ahead and tell them your little plan. Just know that I'm leaving the room. I don't want to hear any part of this discussion." I passed the phone back to Matt before half walking, half running out of the room. I felt them all watching me as I left the room. I didn't care if I seemed dramatic or if I was overreacting. I just wanted to leave so I didn't have to hear them agree to such a depressing and heart wrenching plan.

I stormed up several sets of stairs before reaching my destination: the attic. When we were approaching our teenage years, our group settled on the attic as our "safe-zone". Any of us would go up there when we were sad or pissed or just wanted to be alone for awhile. Since all of us had chosen the attic as a safe-zone, we all knew where to find each other when one of us had gotten upset. That was both good and bad.

I pulled myself up the stairs until I reached the dusty room. With a burdened sigh, I walked around. There wasn't much left up here anymore. Roger used to keep all of his personal stuff and some of the kids' things in the attic, but now there were a total of only five boxes. More than likely they were filled with forgotten things of Roger's or the old kids'. I let my fingers brush over one of the boxes before I sat at the window that overlooked the backyard.

The woods we used to play in were stripped of their leaves, being buried in snow. I found that if I looked hard enough, I could see the old treehouse we had claimed as ours all those years ago. Looking out even further the crypt L's true body was placed in could be seen. Refusing to let my mind venture down that path, I turned my back to the window. I pulled my phone out, playing random games until I was ready to go back downstairs or someone came to find me.

**.::~Author's Note~::.**

**This…was shorter than the others. Oh well! I still think it's pretty good for it's length. Anyway, what do you guys think of it all so far? I still have a few more chapters to get done, but I'm not entirely sure how many I have left, so I need opinions! Please, and thank you! :]**


	24. AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**Hello, everyone. Before getting to the reason behind this Author's Note, I'd just like to apologize. I'm sorry.**

**Tonight I was blind sided by being told off by someone I consider a best friend (the inspiration for Tease) that I need to "grow up" and "get out of my anime stage". Until recently, she, too, liked anime. Or so I assumed. I guess I was wrong. Tomorrow she and I are going to meet and discuss some current personal issues. If it goes well, I'll be updating this soon with Chapter 24. If it does not go well, I'm not sure when this will be updated again, if at all. Maybe she's right. Maybe I do need to grow up. Maybe anime **_**is**_** for children. Maybe I am too old to enjoy Death Note, Hetalia, Naruto, Sailor Moon... *sigh* Maybe I really should give up everything I've known since 6th grade like she says I should...**

**I don't know what I'm going to do. Again, my readers (and maybe even fans, I hope), I'm honestly sorry. **

**-Sincerely, XxAbusedTamponxX**


	25. People Don't Change

Chapter 24:

People Don't Change

An hour and a half later, I was still sitting in the attic by myself. Either they were still talking or they knew I'd want to be alone for a while after they'd heard of Near's master plan. No matter what the situation, my phone was almost dead and I was getting bored. I glanced outside. At least the snow had finally stopped. Had it continued, we probably would've been snowed in for the night or something. Would that be so bad, though? Actually, yeah. It probably would be.

I snapped my head up from its resting position against the window when a knock came to the door. I sighed in thought. Knowing the way I am and how I acted before storming off, I could pretty much figure out who would be looking for me. Matt could possibly be the one climbing the stairs, given being back home has made me a little more sentimental. It could very well be Tease. She could level with me on the sympathy thing of the dangerous plan. It could also equally be Mello. He'd always find me when we were younger, so why wouldn't he come get me now?

I bit the inside of my cheek as Mello's blonde hair came into view. He paused when he saw me. Beside him two more heads popped up. Matt and Tease carefully eyed me over before the trio approached.

"Leave." I mumbled my command.

"No. Not until we talk about this as a group." Matt leaned against the window so I couldn't distract myself with the outdoors.

"What's the point? I already know you two agreed to it."

"And how do you know that, exactly?" Mello smirked, obviously trying to lift my mood. It failed miserably. I turned to him, glaring with a scowl.

"…Because I know you. And because I know how dedicated my brother is to you. He'd die for you if you asked. Oh, wait," I gave a sharp, spiteful chuckle before growling out, "you have."

If it hadn't been for my foul mood and the seriousness of what they wanted to talk about, I would've laughed at the looks on their faces. Yes, Mello and I have yelled at each other before, but never have I actually growled something out at him. All of three of them had comically wide eyes to show their shock. I stared down at the wooden floorboards while their shock settled and faded. Mello closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He waved his free hand at Matt and Tease, wanting them to leave. They did, of course.

He kneeled in front of me. "Envy, you know as well as we do that this plan…it has no flaws. It's the only way to-"

"Please, Mello, don't start that. It's not the only way. It _can't _be the only way to catch Kira." I crossed my arms like a stubborn child would.

"But it is. Whether you want to face it or not, Matt and I have to do this."

"Why? Why do you have to do it?" Crap. My voice cracked. The tears are building up.

"Because we're two of five working on this case. Near's too much of a coward, staying behind his damn computers and all, to do any part of his own plan, and you and Tease are girls." He brushed my bangs behind my ears. "None of us guys wanted either of you put in the danger."

I held his gaze. I couldn't detect anything tricky in his eyes. Yet, the anger and fear were building up in me. They were ready to burst from the seams. I closed my eyes as tears fell, exhaling from my nose. I opened my eyes again.

"I don't want either of you to do it. I can't…"

"You can't what? Tell me, Envy. Why can't we do it?" His eyes found mine, searching for something deep within. He had a look of almost…desperation. I sighed, shaking my head.

"I just can't lose you guys, alright? Let's leave it at that." I was void of any emotion in my voice by this point. He hung his head, standing straight. He offered a hand out to me.

"Will you at least come out of the attic?"

"Yeah…" I slid my hand into his, allowing him to lead me back downstairs to the living room. Roger was sitting in his chair, just like when I had left. On the couch Tease was curled up against Matt, eyes red and puffy. She's been crying. I shuffled to the love seat with Mello, curling up next to him while he threw his arm around the back. Silence lingered in the room, suffocating us all. Roger abruptly stood up.

"It's time for this old man to go to bed. Help yourselves to anything you'd like tonight. Goodnight." He nodded politely like the gentleman he's always been, leaving the room.

I shifted in my seat, placing my head on Mello's shoulder. His arm draped around me in response.

"Should we go back to Japan, then?" I quietly asked.

"Yes. We still have a while before the plan needs to take action, though. We can spend another day here." Mello answered as he played with my hair.

We all stopped talking after that. As the minutes ticked by, Tease slowly fell asleep against Matt. Matt eventually picked her up, taking her to bed. Mello and I stayed in the living room. I placed my hand on his leather jeans, the feeling of them calming me a fraction. He played with my hair while I drew designs with my finger on his knee. I don't know how long we stayed like that. All I was aware of was how sleepy I was getting. He must've sensed a change in my breathing when he spoke up.

"Are you getting tired?"

I nodded.

"Do you want to go to bed?"

I nodded. I felt his chest rumble as he chuckled at me. He firmly held my shoulder as he slid his other arm under my knees and lifted me up as he stood. The last thing I remember before drifting off was him climbing the stairs.

oOoOo!HeyLookALineBreak!oOoOo

"_I love you…" I panted out again. I locked eyes with him. I pushed his bangs away from his sweaty forehead. _

"_I love you, too." He replied again, his breathing was just as heavy. He bent down, kissing my neck._

"_I don't want to lose you." I moaned as he bit down and sucked the sweet spot on my neck. _

"_You won't…lose me. I'm about to…be yours…forever." He mumbled against my skin between each kiss to my neck. He raised his head, the love in his eyes overwhelming. "Are you ready?" _

"_I've been ready." _

_I felt my nails digging into Mello's back as he slowly thrust into me._

I woke with a jolt. My breathing was heavy, sweat was rolling down my temple, I felt an usual amount of heat…_down there, _and I felt dizzy. What in the hell possessed me to have a dream like that? I had never had any sort of sex dream before. When I finally do have one, it has to be about him while he's lying next to me. _Oh shit_. He's lying next to me! Please, please don't be awake!

I glanced at him. He was still dead to the world, sleeping peacefully. Thank goodness. I rested my head on the pillow again, focusing on evening my breathing. Seriously, though. What made me dream something like that?

_You're about to lose him. It's me telling you to tell him about your feelings! _The little voice in my head screamed at me. I got close to telling him in the attic today, but I chickened out. That annoying little voice is right. I have to tell him. I felt the odd heat in between my legs again. _And tell him soon_. I closed my eyes, turned my back to him, and forced myself back to sleep.

"En." A voice whispered to me.

I groaned in response.

"En, wake up." The voice was accompanied with a gentle shake.

"Don't wanna." I groaned, pulling the blankets over my head. I heard Mello laugh quietly. Before my tired mind could register what was happening, he was under the blanket with me. I peeked my eyes open at him as he hovered over me.

"What are you doing?" I groaned.

"Waking you. Come on, get up." There was excitement in his voice.

"What time is it? And why do you sound so excited?"

"It's eight. And that's a surprise. Just get up, Envy."

"Goodness gracious. I haven't seen you this excited since the last time L visited us and spoke directly to you." I smirked when his smile fell.

"I'm sorry my idol made me happy. Now. Get. Up." He placed a quick kiss on my cheek before finally getting off of me. He took the blankets with him so I'd definitely get up. He was right at the doorframe when I sat up.

"Coming back here has brought out your inner child, Mello!" I rubbed my eyes.

"My inner child never left. He's just been buried for a while." He smiled up at me, a twinkle in his eyes. "People never change, En. Even if they do, it's for a shitty reason and they'll be back to normal soon enough."

I smiled back at him. "You want me to go somewhere with you, right? Get out and let me change, then."

He smiled even more, dropping the blankets and leaving the room. I rolled my eyes happily, moving to the dresser. I grabbed a simple pair of jeans, boots, and a mossy green hoodie. I tossed my hair up in sloppy ponytail before leaving the room. I could care less about wearing make-up today. I had gotten half way down the hall when I ran into Mello. He looked me over quickly, taking my hand in his.

"You look beautiful today, En." His voice was filled with such sincerity. The butterflies in my stomach woke up.

"Thanks. Um, can I know where you want to take me yet?"

"Nope." He smirked. He pulled me past Matt and the others, telling them we'd be back later. They looked at me, questioning him. I could only shrug with a smile.

Outside, Mello's motorcycle was waiting. He put his helmet on me before tying his hair back. I giggled, playing with the small ponytail. He playfully glared at me, swiftly picking me up and placing me on the back of the two-wheeled beast. He climbed on in front, starting it up. He waited for me to grab hold of him to take off.

I watched as our surroundings zoomed past us. Partially melted snow was everywhere. Dark clouds still loomed in the sky, threatening to attack us with snow once more. I held myself closer to Mello as he continued to speed down the streets. Feeling his warmth brought memories of the dream that woke me last night. I blushed to myself, backing off a little.

We finally came to a stop outside of a pet shop. I began taking off the helmet while Mello turned off the motorcycle. He took the helmet from me, helping me off. I eyed him over curiously as he took my hand and led me inside the building.

I looked around, noticing the building was larger than it appeared. I was caught up in gazing at everything as I blindly followed Mello toward the back of the building. When I felt we had stopped, I look ahead. There was a huge display set up around several tanks containing turtles. A sign above them said "Brand New" in bright colors. I smiled, biting my lip, as I watched all of the little reptiles swim around.

"I talked to Matt about this. We both agreed that since you love animals so much, getting you a turtle wouldn't harm much of anything. They could stay with Roger when we go back to Japan, then you and Tease could come back and get them." Mello said from behind me. I turned to look at him. He still had the excited look of a little boy on his face.

"That's you were so excited when you woke me?"

"Yeah." He ducked his head. "I knew it would make you happy, and seeing you happy, um-"

I cut him off by pulling him into a tight hug. He responded immediately, his arms wrapping around my waist.

"You don't have to say it, Mel. I get it. Thank you." I whispered against his neck.

"Don't mention it. Let's get one of those people to get one of those things." He got himself out of my grasp. He flagged down one of the employees, getting them to help me. The guy looked up, showing a dazzling smile to us. His shook his shaggy, dark blonde hair from his eyes, walking over toward us.

"Hello, my name is Beck." The dirty blonde said, holding out a hand. I took it, smiling at his British accent. Mello placed his arm around my shoulder, standing straight.

"How may I help you two today?" His smile never fell.

"Could you fish out one of these cute little turtles for me, please?" I asked.

"Simply one?" He asked, reaching for a large net and a container to put one in. "These turtles can get rather lonely if they don't have a friend to keep them company."

"Oh..? What a pity." I pouted. My love for animals kicked in. I felt a stab of guilt for only getting one.

"Get a second one, then." Mello said, looking down at me. I bit my lip.

"Really? It's alright?"

"Yeah. I know how you get with animals." He looked up at Beck. "Get her a second one. Please." He added as an afterthought.

"Yes, sir." He smiled again. We watched as he added some water to the container. He looked around, seeing two off by themselves. He caught them in the same net with a victorious smile, gently placing them down in the container. He told me what they were called (Yellow Belly Sliders), how to care for them, what genders they were (a girl and a boy), how to much to feed them and how many times a day. He led us to another aisle, showing us the small tanks that would be perfect for the tiny creatures. Mello grabbed one of them for me, following behind as Beck led us to a checkout counter.

"Will that be all for you today, sir?, Ma'am?" He smiled at me as Mello got his wallet out.

"Yes, thank you." I smiled back. Such a gentleman. Mello paid him, picking up the tank and separate bag while I carried the turtles. I watched them as we left the store. I remembered how we got there.

"Wait, how are we going to get home?"

"We're actually not too far away. We can walk back. If you'd rather, I can call a cab."

"No, no. Walking is fine." I smiled up at him.

We walked at a casual pace, talking about the most random of things. Even when we got back, we kept up our random topics. We talked about Misa as we set up the tank. I actually kind of missed her. I was wondering how she was doing with Light, and if she knew about his relationship with Takada. She probably had a clue about it, but was turning a blind eye to the idea. She had a way with believing only what she wanted to.

"Does it matter? She'll go to jail as an accessory to murder, anyway." He shrugged.

"Jail bound or not, she doesn't deserved to be played. No one does." I placed one of the turtles in the tank.

"You have a point." He agreed, putting the other one in.

We leaned together, watching as the two creatures slowly poked their heads out of their shells, hesitantly moving around their new home.

"What will you name them?" Mello softly asked. I thought to myself for a moment.

"He will be Romeo." I pointed to the boy as he swam toward us.

"Let me guess. She'll be Juliet."

"No." I shook my head in disgust.

"Why not?"

"The story of Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. I don't want my turtles named after two hormonal teenagers whose 'love' killed six people in the end."

He laughed. "Alright, what will you name her, then?"

"Hmm…how about Cinderella? She had a happy ending, according to Disney."

"Romeo and Cinderella…sounds good enough." He smiled, turning to leave. I rushed ahead of him, blocking his exit. He gazed down at me, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Thank you. For today. It was very kind of you."

"No problem. May I go get my bike now?"

"After I do this." I leaned up, catching his cheek in swift kiss. I smiled at his flabbergasted look. Then, out of the blue, it was there. The familiar pull that forced us to kiss the last few time filled the air between us. He took a small step forward, catching my chin between his index and chin. His other hand planted itself by my head. As I was leaning up, he was bending down. Our lips were an inch away from each other.

"Oh!"

I yelped when the door was opened from behind me. I fell back onto the hard wood on my bum. Matt was over me, laughing so hard he was doubled over. Tease was the same way. Mello leaned against the doorframe, face in his hand. I glared at my brother and friend for not only ruining a moment with Mello, but making my ass hurt. Mello reached down to help me up. The second I was on my feet, he spun me against his chest, his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you guys done laughing yet?" I snapped. They slowly stood up, wiping their tears away. "What did you want?"

"To see your turtles." Tease slid past us, going to their tank. Matt followed her. I rolled my eyes with a loud sigh. Mello leaned down, whispering to me he'd be back later.

"I'm going to get the bike. I won't be long."

I followed him out into the hall. I shut the door softly, turning back to him with a smile.

"It was good to see you smiling today. I haven't seen you that excited in…well, years."

"Yeah, well…" He ran a hand through his hair, "you were happy about the turtles, and I like seeing you that way, so…"

"I know."

"…I'm going to get the bike. I'll be back in a few minutes." He grazed my cheek with his fingertips, heading toward the stairs.

"Okay. Wear your helmet this time!"

"We'll see." He waved his hand dismissively above his head as he went down the stairs.

I smiled to myself as I watched his vanish. He was right. People don't just change. Even if they do, it's not for too long of a time. He's living proof of that. I sighed again, going back to my room to talk with Tease and Matt for a while.

**.::~Author's Note~::.**

**This chapter is kind of…random. I really didn't have anything planned for this chapter, so I put in random stuff. Hope it's not too bad. **

**I just simply want to thank three certain people in this Author's note. I give thanks to mysteri0s, Forever-Buckskin, and an anonymous reviewer who went by "Able to Relate" for encouraging me to continue this, and not care about others opinions. Reading those three reviews made me smile and realize that only my opinion of myself is the only one that matters. This story will not be put off. I will see it through 'til the end! **

**That being said, updates for this will be slower. I've gotten really into Hetalia and have begun writing one-shots and a small story for it. I still wish you all will follow this, though. Please, and thank you :]**


	26. I Love You

Chapter 25:

…I Love You…

"_I sense there's something in the wind that feels like tragedy's at hand. And though I'd like to stand by him, can't shake this feeling that I have the worst is just around the bend._" I sang to myself as I brushed my hair out. With a sigh, I set the brush down. I flopped onto my stomach, watching Romeo and Cinderella swim around merrily in their home. I'm going to miss them while I'm in Japan.

Once Mello returned from getting his bike yesterday, Near called. The date for the plan has been moved up. We need to leave out today for things to be put into motion correctly. Matt did his magic on the laptop, scoring four tickets back to Japan. By the time we get there it will be night. The plan will be ready to go by the next morning. Great, right? Bleh. I looked out the window in my room, gazing upon the woods. I could just barely make out L's crypt. My head tilted to the side as I stared at it.

"Hey, Envy!" Tease called from the hallway. She popped her head in a second later. "Are you all packed?"

"…Huh? Oh, yeah." My eyes never ventured away from the crypt.

"Are you alright?" She neared me, following my gaze. "Oh…I see. Would you like to visit before we leave? We have plenty of time."

"…Yeah. I would like to visit him." I stood up, grabbing a coat. "Will you be joining me?"

"Yes, please." She flashed her gorgeous white teeth at me in a smile. I slipped my boots on, snuck my special picture into my jacket, and left the room with her.

The brisk winter air hit us immediately. We both shuddered, wrapping our jackets around ourselves tighter. We trudged through the snow in silence until we reached the gravesite. We stared up at the doors as a thick air settled around us.

"Go ahead. I'll wait out here." Tease smiled again.

"Nonsense. It's too cold out here. I'm not going to say anything out loud."

"But-"

I yanked her forward with me before she could get another word in. Combining our strength, we pushed the doors open. A sudden feeling of wariness washed over me. I glanced at Tease. Her face had paled.

"…You feel it, too? Like we're suddenly being watched?" I whispered so quietly I wasn't even sure she could've heard me. Her eyes locked with mine while she just barely nodded. I glanced around behind us, looking everywhere for someone who could be observing us. Nothing. There was no one anywhere. I gave Tease a shrug, ushering her in. She stood in a corner as I hesitantly approached L's grave.

Looking upon it, I shivered. I shivered because I knew that just one foot in front of me L, the reason I worked so hard to get good grades, the one I aspired to be like as a child, _my idol_, was truly dead. My heart twisted and my stomach churned. Absently I ran my fingers across the freezing concrete box surrounding his casket. I closed my eyes, a memory dancing across my closed lids.

"_L-sama?" I asked as I approached the figure in the glorious garden full flowers. My long chocolate pigtails swayed with me. _

"_Good morning, Envy." The man said, turning to me. "You've grown. How old are you now?"_

"_I'm twelve, sir. Almost thirteen." _

"_Of course you are. Those pigtails make you look ten," he looked me over, "in the face, at least." He flipped one of them with one of his long, bony fingers. I dropped my shoulders. _

"_Tease did it for me…" I pouted. "May I ask why you're here, L-sama?" _

"_I came for a small visit. Walk with me, Envy." He offered his hand out. I blinked up at him, taking it. He smiled lightly, walking down the path in the garden. We stayed silent for the first few minutes._

"_Have you ever wondered how you were going to die, Envy?" _

"_No, sir. I haven't, really. I always picture myself as a little old lady in bed before passing. Isn't that how everyone imagines they'll die?"_

"_Not everyone." A gleam flashed through his eyes as he stared ahead. "I have never once thought I would die an old man, cozy in bed. Even as a young child, I never once had that comforting thought."_

_He suddenly stopped walking, pulling me to a stop as well. His face grew darkly serious as he bent down to face level with me. _

"_I would like for you to promise me something."_

"…_A-and what would that be?" _

"_If you ever feel you'll die young, I want you to make sure you die fulfilled. Whatever the situation be, obtain closure on whatever it is that may have put you in such a state. Do not allow yourself to die in humiliation. Make sure your reason for death is a reason you wouldn't mind dying for"_

"_L-sama…where is this coming from?" I searched his eyes with my own, trying to find what darkness hid in those secretive eyes that would make him say such a thing. _

"_I think at night. I have a little too much time to do so. Will you promise me that?"_

"…_Yes, sir. I will not die in vain. I'll have a purpose to die for." _

_He smiled, straightening back up. "Thank you, Envy. Now, let's get to the house. I'm sure Mello will be excited to know of my presence." _

_He smiled, making me laugh lightly despite the weird and oddly worded request that was just asked of me. _

I firmly rested my hand on the icy concrete and opened my eyes. I stared at it, lips partially opened in surprise.

"Did you know? Even that far away, did you realize what was to become?" I mumbled. Could he really have known he was going to die young, even so many years ahead of time? I sighed, stepping back. I pulled the old picture out of my jacket, observing it. Tease shuffled over to check it out.

"Holy crap…that picture is so old…"

"Yeah…"

"I thought Mello wanted all evidence of our connections to L destroyed."

"He did."

"You didn't listen to him?"

"Do I ever? Over things that I cherish, I mean?"

"Point taken. What are you going to do with this?"

"…It'll be too risky to have it on me when the plan gets put into motion. No one knows this is his true gravesite. I'll leave it here. Mello wanted the evidence gone anyway." I delicately placed the picture down on his grave. Tease put her arms around me in a hug straight after. I didn't even realize I had tears rolling down my cheeks until she whispered 'Please stop crying' in my ear.

"Let's go back, alright? The guys are probably ready to leave by now." I stepped back, wiping at my tears with a small smile. Her concerned eyes stared into mine for a moment longer before nodding, leaving with me.

oOoOo!HeyLookALineBreak!oOoOo

Cold. That's all I really noticed. I was cold as I sat in the Japanese hotel room. Tease and Matt kept me company in mine and Mello's shared hotel room as he prepared to vanish somewhere. None of us said a word. We stayed silent, happy to just watch Mello as he flitted about the space. I sighed at him as he passed by me. He stopped, glancing down at me.

"What's wrong?" He kneeled in front of me.

"Where are you going?"

He got a look on his face as though he was about to be sarcastic, but changed his mind. "Out. I'll be back soon, I promise. Unless you want to come with me?"

"Where are you going?" I asked again.

"The local church." He sighed.

"I'll stay here and pray, then." He stood, starting to walk away. I grasped his hand, making him look to me again.

"Be careful." I added. He smiled down at me, kissed my knuckles, and left. I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders with another sigh. I dropped my head back for a moment before rolling it back up. I looked ahead at the lovers in front of me.

"Go spend alone time together."

"Oh…we can't do that to you." Tease said.

"Yeah, sis. You don't need to be alone." Matt added.

"I'll be fine. You two need to be on your own for a while. Besides, you heard Mello. He'll be back soon. Just go."

Matt sighed, looking down at Tease. "She won't give up."

"I know." She rolled her eyes playfully at me before standing up. He followed her lead, walking over to me. She bent down, holding my face in her tiny hands.

"If you need us, just call. One or both of us will be over here in an instant." She kissed my forehead, moving toward the door. Matt leaned down, kissed my cheek, and ruffled my hair. I laughed at him, watching them leave. I heard the automatic lock activate on the door.

Suddenly I felt it. I felt the loneliness set in. The heaviness of tomorrow was kicking in. I didn't want—didn't need to be alone. I wasn't going to call them back, though. They needed this last night together. The silence was suffocating, though. I could feel my anxiety steadily rising. I got up, my anxiety forcing my restlessness to start up. I got my iPod out, searched for my dock, and plugged it up. I didn't even care what song was playing. I just needed noise in the tiny room. I curled back up on the couch, laying my head back. I'm not sure how long I had been sitting on the couch when a knock pulled me from my daze. I glided to the door, peeking through peep hole. _Mello. How long was I staring into space?_ I opened the door for him, shutting it once he was in. He removed his leather jacket, tossing it without a care onto the floor. He fell onto the beige couch, rubbing his forehead. I joined him, curling my knees up to my chest. My anxiety was settling deep inside my stomach, forcing it to churn slightly.

"Calm down." He muttered. "You have no reason to be nervous."

"I don't? So I shouldn't be nervous about my two of best friends dying in the morning?"

"You'll have Tease. Seriously, En. It's not like you're the one sacrificing yourself. Why are you so upset?" He mumbled.

"…Are you serious right now? I'm upset because you're about to _die_. You and my brother are going to be gone tomorrow, gone forever! Just that one, single thought alone makes me sick to my stomach, has my heart clench, and gets my head to spin. I keep expecting to jolt awake from this nightmare at any given moment and be back in our bed in the mafia, with yours around me to comfort me and tell me everything will be alright, that you're not going anywhere. Just…the idea of losing you guys feels like a hideously horrible dream…not reality." Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes. I refused to look at him though I knew he was watching me.

"I get it, Envy-"

"No, Mello, you don't." I stood as my frustrated tears flowed freely down my cheeks and jawline. "You don't understand how much this is tearing me apart. I don't want anyone else from our group to vanish. If I lost Matt…if I lost you…I'd want to die. I would live the rest of my life as an empty shell."

He held my gaze as stared down at him. He scooted to the edge of the sofa. He took hold of one of my hands with both of his. His eyes gained the same gleam of searching my eyes as he did in the attic. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He closed his eyes with a deep intake of breath.

"I get that. I would be the same way if I were to…" He trailed off, unable to finish the thought. Instead, he changed topics. "Why? Why do you feel that way?"

I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat. This is it. This is the moment of truth. I'm to tell him, now or never. Pulling my hand out of his grasp, I backed away slowly. He watched with curious, almost desperate, eyes.

"I feel that way…because…" I ducked my head, playing with my fingers. "Because…I-I love you…I have for years."

I couldn't look at him. I just knew that those beautiful cobalt eyes that made me weak in the knees held nothing but disgust for me now. His quietness was proof that I was right. As I continued to play with my knotted fingers, I noticed my iPod was still playing in the background. Christina Perri's 'A Thousand Years' was on. "_How ironic…"_ I mused.

"You should've told me. God, En…I wish you had told me sooner." His voice was dangerously low. I knew it. He's pissed at me. He'll never want to talk to me again. I turned on my heel to leave the room.

"…I love you, too."

I froze. He was quiet, but I heard him. I took my glasses off, wiping my still leaking eyes.

"Look at me. Please."

I rotated my head, catching him behind me from the corner of my eye. I turned completely around. The moment I was no longer moving his hands were cupping my face as he stared into my eyes, _my soul_.

"Why do you sound mad, then?" I asked in a shaky breath.

"Because we only have one night. I wanted a lifetime." His chocolate scented breath tickled my lips. "May I kiss you?"

I couldn't suppress my giggle, as I held onto his wrists. "We confess to each other, and _now_ you ask permission?"

He playfully scowled before gingerly pressing his lips against mine. I melted instantly, my eyes slowly closing. His hands traveled down to my waist, arms snaking around me to hold me close. I wrapped my arms around him to keep him in place and prolong the kiss. He smiled against my lips, pulling away lightly. My eyes fluttered open, staring deep into his eyes. And there it was; that familiar charge of electricity ignited between us instantly.

"Take me." The desperation in my voice startled me. His breath stopped tickling my lips as he held it.

"What?"

"Oh, please? You've been my first everything so far. Be my first lover." I ran a hand through his golden locks, searching his eyes to figure out what he was thinking. He turned into my touch as my palm rested on his unscarred cheek, his hand over mine. He pulled that hand in front of him. He placed sweet kisses on each of my fingertips. He placed a final kiss in the middle of my palm. All the while his eyes never left mine.

"…Let's go to the bedroom." He whispered with that turn-you-into-jelly half smile that I love, gently pushing me backward to the room.

**.::~Author's Note~::. **

**Boom. There it is. I realize that probably went a little fast, but I didn't want to waste any more time in trying to get to the climax of the story. So, since it'll still be a while before I post again, please do me two favors, my little loves. Number One: Tell me what you think of this so far. The end is close. Not too close, but still pretty close :] Number Two: I know there are some people out there that like to read love scenes in stories. Not gonna lie, I'm one of those people. How many of you would like me to write Mello and Envy's love filled night? Leave your answer in a review! Or, if you're not comfortable saying it in a review, you can send me a Private Message :] **

**As always, please and thank you! ^-^**


	27. In the Blink of an Eye

Chapter 26:

In the Blink of an Eye

My eyes never left Mello's as we made it to the bedroom. He flipped the lights on upon entering. I gripped his leather shirt, pulling him toward me for another kiss. He placed his hands on my ass, squeezing lightly. I took hold of his bottom lip with my teeth and pulled lightly, earning a groan from him. He pulled away with a smile. I giggled as he pushed me down onto the bed. He rushed to take his shoes off while I got further back on the bed and moved to lie down on my back. He crawled over me, giving me a chaste kiss before making a trail down my jawline to my neck. I tilted my head to one side so he had more room.

"You smell wonderful." He muttered against my skin. I hummed, my fingers tangling themselves in his hair. I felt his fingers glide up my sides, my shirt gently being tugged up with them. His cold fingers against my skin made me shiver. I shifted to a sitting position. He watched me as I hesitantly removed my shirt. I threw it across the room. His eyes traveled down from mine for a moment to observe what I had shown so far. I felt an embarrassed blush creep across my cheeks as he hungrily took in my form with his eyes. He took a deep breath as he removed his own shirt. He avoided my gaze as he tossed his shirt to the side.

"Look at me…" I whispered. He didn't move. I placed a hand on his cheek to guide his gaze back to mine. "You're beautiful. I love you just the way you are. And don't you dare say you aren't."

"…Guys aren't beautiful." He smirked. I smiled myself, resting my forehead against his.

"Smartass." I let my hands fall to his shoulders then glide down to his chest. I gave him a quick kiss before kissing the outline of the scar on his neck. I gently pushed him backward until he was lying down. Deciding to be a little spicier for now, instead of kissing the scar outline on his chest I poked my tongue out to lick it. He gasped as I licked the entire length of it downward.

"Oh, Envy…" He groaned.

"No, no…" I rubbed my nose against his stomach. "Real names tonight. I want you to call me Emily. I want to call you Mihael. Alright?"

"Whatever you want, angel. Whatever you want." He closed his eyes as I licked my way back up his chest, pausing to nip at his nipple. I suddenly got off the bed, laughing as he pouted. I bit my lip as I unbuttoned and unzipped my pants, slowly pulling them down. He got on his knees, moving to the edge of the bed. He hooked his finger into the edge of my black and purple skull boy-shorts panties and pulled me to him. His lips attacked my collar bone, trailing down over and between my breasts. I rolled my head back at the wonderful feeling of his lips against my skin.

"You're so soft…" He pulled his head back as his hands traveled up my sides to cup my breasts. "Wow…I never realized how big your boobs are…"

I scoffed lightly at his bluntness. He started playing with them, feeling, kneading, and pushing them together. He pressed them together, leaned his head back in, and slid his tongue in between them. I gasped at the odd yet erotic feeling. My fingers twisted into his soft hair once more as his tongue began pulling out then pushing back in between them. I let a quiet moan slip out. He gripped my hips, pulling me down onto the bed again. He removed his own pants as I sat and watched him. He pulled me in for a kiss again. This time his tongue ran along my bottom lip. I opened without a moment's hesitation. Our tongues battled each other for dominance. I just barely noticed his hand slipping behind my back to unhook my bra. I hitched one of my legs onto his hip before helping remove the piece of underwear and lazily toss it aside. I fought back the urge to hide myself as he eyed me over. _'This is his only chance. Don't ruin it for him.'_ The little voice in my head whispered. I squeezed my eyes shut as his gaze burned me.

"Oh!" I squeaked when I felt something warm and wet lapping at my nipples. As they hardened and grew his teeth gently pulled them. I mewled at the feeling. All of this was so foreign to me and my hypersensitive body was beyond responsive by this point. Every touch, every kiss, every lick…whatever he did made my skin tingle, my heart rate speed up, and my brain stop working. Even more so, it made me fall deeper for him.

He suddenly moved away from my breasts, lightly brushing his lips across my stomach. His hands caressed my sides until they landed on my hips. He picked me up slightly with one hand, gently pulling my panties off with the other. He held them up for me to see, a smirk playing on his lips, before he wadded them up and tossed them aside. He stood up, moving to take off his boxers. I leaped forward, my hands on top of his. He paused to gaze down at me. I held his gaze as I pushed his hands away. I hooked my fingers around the elastic of his underwear and tugged. I pushed them down to his knees before letting them go to fall to the ground while biting my bottom lip. He trapped my chin between his index finger and thumb, kissing me with as much passion as possible. I felt him step out of his boxers as we kissed. I pulled away from him, placing my hands on his hips. I slowly leaned down to his erection, bravely placing a kiss on the tip of it. Air hissed through his teeth.

"Lay back. Please, I need you now." He stared down at me. His breath was sharp and ragged, much like my own. I did as he said, laying down on my back, my head resting against the cool pillows. He climbed on top of me and pressed butterfly kisses across my throat.

"I love you." He murmured softly.

"I love you, too."

He leaned up, looking deep into my eyes. His stunning cobalt eyes seemed to see past my eyes, digging deep into my soul. It made me shudder.

"Are you ready?" He asked, a hand running through my hair. I smiled closing my eyes.

"I've been ready."

"It's going to hurt at first." I felt him kiss my eyelids.

"I know. I'll be fine, Mihael."

He stayed silent. He lightly kissed my nose as I felt him line himself up with my entrance. I took in a deep breath to prepare myself. Going as slowly and gently as possible, he pushed into me. I bit my lip again and gripped his shoulders. He peppered kisses across my cheeks, my jaws, my neck, and my shoulders. I heard his light voice whispering against my skin.

"I'm sorry, angel. I'm sorry." He repeated over and over. Once he was fully sheathed inside me, he ceased moving. I opened my eyes, adjusting to his size and the burning feeling coursing through me. Tears pooled in my eyes, breaking loose to glide down the side of my face and mix with the sweat I already had. I licked my dry lips. I loosened my grip on his shoulders and let out a shuddering breath.

"You can move now. I'm alright."

He leaned up, looking me in the eye. He nodded once before gently pulling out, leaving only the head in. I shivered as he pushed in once more, slightly quicker than the last time. Despite the pain I moaned at the friction. He thrust in once more, a little harsher. The pain was beginning to subside while pleasure escalated. I plunged my fingers into his hair. He closed his eyes with a hum as I tugged at it. He thrust into to me again. This time as he came down I pushed my pelvis up to get more of him in me. We both groaned at the feeling. I already felt warmth pooling in the pit of my stomach. I wasn't so naïve as to not know that I was reaching my climax.

"You're so beautiful." Mello groaned as he watched me, my face contorting in absolute, utter bliss. His pace sped up, adding more pleasure. I tilted my head back, eye screwed shut, with a moan.

"Mihael…"

"I know, baby." He leaned down, lapping up a bead of sweat that was running down my throat.

"I-I'm…close…" I took the opportunity to nibble at his earlobe while he nipped at my neck.

"I am, too, angel."

His harsh, quick thrusts were driving me wild. I threw my legs around his waist, giving him a new angle to work with. That way got him even deeper into me. He groaned, rather loudly, as his lips found mine. I gasped as he hit my sweet spot. His tongue invaded my mouth instantly, wrestling with my tongue for a moment before scanning everywhere as if he was trying to memorize what it was like. Sensations began mixing and before I knew it I was moaning as loudly as possible into his mouth, squeezing my eyes shut once more, holding him tightly to me, and climaxing around him. For a moment I felt as though I was in heaven.

"Oh, God!" Mello cried out as he broke his lips from mine, stilling instantly. I groaned for two reasons. The first reason was the weirdly wonderful feeling of Mello's seed shooting inside me. The second reason was the way he looked. He hovered above me, his head thrown back as he silently released. His eyes were shut and his mouth was just barely opened. Sweat rolled down his forehead, glistening in the light. His gorgeous golden hair was sticking to his sweaty forehead and neck. Out of all the years I had known him, he'd never looked sexier.

As his orgasm finished his arms went limp. He collapsed on top of me, his head on my heaving chest, and arm delicately wrapped around my waist. I placed an arm upon his and stroked his hair.

"That wasn't as long as I hoped it would be." Mello panted.

"It was longer than I thought it would last." I let out an airy laugh. "But I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Hm." I felt him smirking. "Me either."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, angel." He turned his head, planting a kiss on my sticky skin. I continued to comb his hair. As my post-coital bliss faded, I began to feel tired with some slight pain in my thighs. I sighed, looking down toward Mello. He was already asleep. I kissed his head, rested my cheek against it, and closed my eyes to sleep.

Too bad for me. My brain wouldn't turn off. All of a sudden, I was alone again. Alone with my thoughts of despair. Horrible images began to flood my mind. I was seeing my dearest brother. I could see him bloody and dying, a cigarette falling from his paling lips as he collapses. I mentally slapped myself for thinking of such a dreadful thing. Instead, disgusting illusions of Mello sprang up. I flinched as hundreds of images flashed past my lids, most of which involved guns and cars smacking into a motorcycle. Tears freely fell from my eyes. With a silent sob, I detangled myself from Mello's tight grasp. I snatched up my bra and panties, going to the restroom. I flicked on the light after shutting the door and turned to mirror. My shoulders slumped as I huffed.

"Oh, Mello. Even when gentle you're rough." I sighed. I traced several different love bites along my collar bone, chest, and neck. I fell against the wall with another sob. After tomorrow Mello will be gone. So will Matt. This shouldn't be happening. Shit! Why is this happening again? Why? Oh, right. Kira. Kira…he's the one. He's the one to blame for all of this! If he had never come around none of this would be happening right now. L would still be alive. BB and A would probably still be with us. All of this could have been avoided had Light Yagami never found that damned notebook and became Kira!

I slid down the wall as tears blurred my vision. I replayed the entire in my head, from the moment Matt and Tease left to this current moment. _"It's not like you're the one sacrificing yourself." _That's what he said. I lifted my head up while that single statement echoed in my mind. I jumped up, an idea slowly forming. I cursed to myself when I couldn't find a pair of scissors in the small bathroom. I quietly bolted to my suitcase, tossing everything aside until the little object buried at the bottom. I smiled with glee, grabbed my cell phone and ran back to the bathroom. I locked the door upon returning. I quickly combed my hair out before I began snipping.

oOoOo!HeyLookALineBreak!oOoOo

I brushed my fingers through my new hairstyle as I reached for my phone. I brought up Tease's number, waiting impatiently for her to pick up.

"What?" She hissed when she finally answered. "You almost woke Matt up!"

"How much do you love Matt?" I asked, completely unfazed by her bitter tone.

"Wha-"

"Just answer~"

"Enough to do anything for him." She sighed after a moment.

"Oh, ok." I paused, moving to put my underwear on again. "Oh, hey, want to do me a favor?"

"Sure. What?"

I took a deep breath, preparing to ask the most important question of our lives. Before I spoke a single word, my entire life at Wammy's flashed before my eyes. All of the fights, all of the games, all of the despair, the drama, the good times, the late nights, my childhood romance, my friends. Everything. Tears sprung to my eyes as I realized how quickly all of that can be taken away from a person. In the blink of an eye, all you've ever lived could be nothing more than just history. I blinked the tears away, stared at my reflection in the mirror, and asked Tease the question.


	28. Are You Ready?

Chapter 27:

Are You Ready?

"Will you meet me at the Mustang with Matt's clothes and his keys? Goggles, too?"

"…En." Her voice was cautious, sounding as though she was about to reprimand a child. "What are you planning?"

"You have to ask?"

"…No. I just wanted you to say the words. Alright, though. I'll get his stuff and meet you down there." She paused for a moment. "They'll be pissed."

"…I know." I hung up, sneaking back into the bedroom. As I collected Mello's scattered clothing from around the room, I shot a glance toward the clock. The blazing red numbers read 3:22 A.M. I sighed. I folded up Mello's clothing, grabbed the keys to his motorcycle, slipped on a pair of shoes, and began to leave. I hesitated at the door, looking behind me at my lover.

"I love you, Mello. I hope you know that." I whispered. Swallowing the lump in my throat I dashed down to the garage to meet up with Tease.

oOoOo!HeyLookALineBreak!oOoOo

I dropped Mello's clothes on the trunk of the car as Tease watched my rushed movements. I snatched my brother's clothes from her hands as I looked around, making sure no one was around. As soon as I deemed it clear, I slipped my robe off and began dressing. Tease smirked at me in utter amusement. I glanced up at her.

"Get dressed, please."

"Nice hickeys. I guess you finally told him." She shrugged off her own robe and slipped on Mello's vest.

"Yeah, I did. And mine are better than yours." I stuck my tongue out at her as I noticed the marks along her jaw.

"Excuse me?" She scoffed.

"You heard me." I smirked, zipping up Matt's pants. They fit rather well and were very comfortable. He may have just lost a pair of jeans to me. I turned to the trunk, popping it open. I scanned the inside. There were all of Matt's large game systems, a bag of costume make-up, and the old box of wigs. I inwardly sighed. I snatched up the bag of make-up, placed it in the box and wigs, and pulled both out.

"It's scary how much you look like Mattie now that you've cut your hair to his length."

"Well, we are twins, you-" I stopped myself, looking to her. I smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "Mattie?"

She flushed, looking away from me. I chuckled quietly, telling her to sit on the trunk once I closed the lid. She hopped up and waited. I brushed her hair out of her face and pulled out the make-up kit.

"We're really doing this, aren't we?" She whispered.

"Yes. If you want to back out, do it now, but just know that I'm in it for the long run." I refused to meet her eyes as I prepared the make-up for her. She stayed silent and still. _'I guess she is staying,'_ I idly thought. I carefully applied the make-up to her face and neck. She watched me most of the time, more than likely thinking of how much Matt and I are alike or wondering about nothing in particular. After what seemed like hours, I finally finished. I stepped back to admire my work.

"You look like him." I whispered. I laughed lightly, returning my voice to its regular volume. "You're much tanner than he is, but it'll do. No one will notice it."

"Where is that one wig?" She asked, digging through the box. While she busied herself with that, I pulled out my cell phone. I searched for his phone number, pressing the Call button the moment I found it. I paced back and forth while I waited.

"Hello?"

"Were you asleep?"

"No, I was wide awake." He yawned, letting me know he was lying. I felt a slight twinge of guilt in my heart.

"I need a favor."

"What would that be?" He already had amusement leaking through his tone. I smirked and rolled my eyes as I asked him for my favor.

oOoOo!HeyLookALineBreak!oOoOo

Tease and I were sitting calmly in the parking lot, discussing things over while we waited for our special guest to arrive. I had checked the Mustang over earlier to make sure Matt still had everything needed for the plan in it. Thankfully, he did. He had left the smokescreen gun sitting in the driver's seat. A rather stupid move, if you ask me. He also left the ear pieces in the glove box. Those would come in handy, especially if anything goes wrong and we needed to inform the other.

"So we'll go down this road, then I go down that way?" Tease made sure as she pointed to a map.

"Yeah. I'll distract everyone for you."

A screeching of tires was heard behind us. We turned to see a pitch black car struggling to come to a stop. Just as it reached us, the passenger door flung open and out came Near. He lost his footing since the car hadn't stopped yet and stumbled slightly before making his way towards us.

"Envy, what are you planning?"

I flinched at the strangely slight anger in his usually monotone voice. I glanced at Tease before squaring off my shoulders and staring Near right in the eye.

"You know what I'm planning."

"Why, then?"

"To keep a promise." I lowered my eyes to the ground.

"To who?" He barked. I snapped my head up, glaring at him.

"To L."

"What?" Tease placed a hand on my shoulder, making me turn to her.

"I made a promise to him years ago that I would have a good reason to die. This is my reason."

"Envy," Near grabbed my hands, "you don't have to do this."

"I do, Near. Please, just give us what I asked for?" I pleaded with him. He stared at me for a moment. It was obvious he didn't want us to do this. With a huff at my stubborn attitude he stalked back to the car that had finally parked. He hit the trunk with his fist. Whoever was still in the driver's seat popped it for him. He pulled out my requested items, hesitantly handing them over to us.

"Thank you so much, Near!" I took them from his hands and gave one to Tease.

"Thanks!" Tease chirped.

He nodded once in return. He circled around to the passenger seat once more, stopping to watch us. Tease and I froze, looking back at him. We smiled as brightly as we could.

"We got this." I told him.

"We aren't going down so easily without a final fight. Believe us." Tease winked.

"I'd like to try. Good luck to you, girls. Now I believe I'll go wait for the boys to wake up. I know either way Mello will blame me for this. I might as well be there to try and console him some." Near thought aloud. He gave an unconvincing smile to us as he began to get in the car.

"Yo, Near!" I called out. He straightened back up to see what I wanted. "After this…after we kick Kira's ass…we'll own the world. We'll be able to look at people and say 'the world is ours'."

He smiled again, a real smile, before climbing in the car and riding away. We watched the car as it rolled out of the parking garage. I rubbed the back of my neck with a sigh. Tease rested her arm against my shoulder and leaned on me.

"You know he might not wait for them to wake up. He'll probably force them up."

I stayed silent. As right as she may have been, I didn't want her to know I thought that.

"He's worried about us. He'll need someone else to share the worry with." She continued on.

"…Yeah. I know. And with Matt being an optimist, he'll try to calm them. I hate to put them through all of this, but-"

"You don't have to say it. I completely get it." She smiled at me. She moved toward Mello's motorcycle. "Have your phone with you?"

"Yep." I glided over to the Mustang, opening the door. I rested my head against the top of the door looking to her. She stared back at me.

"I love you, En. You're my best friend." She swallowed as she fought back tears.

"I love you, too. You're _my_ best friend. But don't cry."

"Why not?"

"Because we're going to see each other after this over. Once we've won, we're going to meet back up, find the boys, and celebrate that we're on the road to victory."

She smiled. "Right."

"And I don't want you to ruin my awesome make-up job." I joked, trying to shift the mood to that of a lighter one. It worked. She watched me for a moment before laughing. I joined her. I bet we were a sight: two girls dressed as guys in a parking garage laughing like maniacs in the wee hours of the morning. As our laughter slowly died down, I climbed into the Mustang, twisting the key and bringing it to life. Beside me, Tease climbed onto the two wheeled beast that Mello adored. I rolled the window, looking at her once more. She popped the helmet on and glanced at me, her hand resting on the key.

"Remember the plan?" I asked.

"Every detail." She nodded. She held a fist out to me. I reached my fist out, bumping my own against hers. She smiled dropping her hand back down to her side.

"Good. Are you ready?"

" Yep. I'll see you later, En."

"Ditto. And watch your back." I warned. She nodded again, starting up the motorcycle. She motioned for me to leave before her. I did as she wanted, going ahead of her. I secured my ear piece as I patiently drove down the street. I took a moment to soak in the glory of the morning. The sun was finally rising. It was a beautiful golden yellow across the horizon. The morning light bounced off the clouds, painting the sky with smoky tints of blazing orange, neon pinks, and light hints of lavender. I sighed to myself, continuing on my way.

**(Back At The Hotel)**

Mello's P.O.V: 

I groaned slightly as I was woken by a banging noise. I ignored it for a moment while memories of the previous night came to mind. I felt my lips tug up into a pleased smile. I finally told Envy how I feel about her. I finally looked her in the eye and told her 'I love you'. I smiled even more when I remembered how she let me show her I loved her. That night, being with the one I loved in more ways than one, was better than anything I could have ever imagined. Keeping my eyes closed, I reached forward blindly searching for my angel. I felt nothing but cold sheets. I peeked my eyes open, finding I was alone. I sat up.

"Envy?" I called. "En?"

No response. I looked around the room, panic slightly filling me. I saw her clothes still thrown around the room. Relief washed over me. She was probably in the bathroom. I got up, scowling at the person still pounding at the door. I quickly grabbed a pair of pajama pants from the dresser and left the room, shutting the door for Envy to have some privacy when she came out of the bathroom.

"What?" I barked as I slung the door open. In front of me stood Matt and _him_. I narrowed my eyes at Near, looking toward Matt for an explanation.

"Mello, we need to talk." Matt said as he pushed past me, Near following. I shut the door, watching him closely. His voice was too quiet when he spoke, sending up the red warning flag in my mind. I sat in a chair opposite of the couch where the other two sat.

"About what?" I asked Matt. "And why are _you_ here?" I glared at Near. Matt looked over at him, biting his nails. _'His nervous habit._' I noted. Near nodded his head at him, twirling a piece of his obnoxiously white hair between two fingers. Matt sighed, moving his hand away from his mouth.

"The girls are gone, Mel."

His words smacked me in the face. He was joking, right? He had to be. He had to be pulling some distasteful prank. I ran a hand through my hair, staring at the two of them.

"You're lying." I said, my voice wavering slightly.

"I wish it were so, Mello, but it's the truth." Near said, sounding worried yet looking bored.

"I don't believe you." I jumped up, running a hand through my hair again. I dashed past them, going back toward the bedroom. I ignored the calls of 'Mello, we're telling the truth!' as I entered the room again. I called out for Envy, looking around the bedroom once more. When I still didn't see her, I rushed to the bathroom. I gripped the doorknob, dreading to open it to find out what was on the other side.

"Envy, are you in there?" I called out. When I heard nothing in response I pushed the door open. To my despair, no one was in there. I swallowed the lump of anger and pain forming in my throat. I dropped my head down to try and calm myself. I stepped back when I saw hair on the ground. _'She must've cut her hair again.'_

"Shit!" I yelled. I went back to the living room, pacing around. I couldn't sit down, not with the images running through my mind and the anger coursing through my veins. I was more than aware of the eyes on me as I moved around. I finally came to a stop, but only long enough to yell at Near.

"You knew about this, didn't you? Why the fuck didn't you stop them!?"

"They both do as they please. Nothing I could have said would have stopped either of them."

"Bullshit." I growled. "I know that Envy is stubborn at times, but you could have talked her out of it! And then she could've stopped Tease. Dammit, Near! I blame you for this!" I shook in anger. I was beyond the point of pissed. I needed to hit something, anything. I stopped dead in my tracks. The memory flitted into my mind of the time I frightened Envy so bad she thought I was about to hit her. I instantly calmed down a fraction. I fell down into my seat again, dropping my head into my hands. What am I going to do?

"Do they have their cell phones? Do you know?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, they do." Near replied.

"Who was dressed as who?"

"Envy was dressed as Matt. Tease was dressed as you."

"And they took the motorcycle and car?"

"Yes."

I threw my head back against the back of the chair. Of course they took both. Why wouldn't they? My heart was thumping uncontrollably and there was a loud ringing in my ears. This feeling…I don't like it. I need to talk to her. Now. I have to find out why she's doing this. I got up again, going to the bedroom. I grabbed my phone, getting ready to dial her phone number. I paused when I noticed something shining in the light. I turned back again to see what was shining. I gingerly picked up the old golden cross on the worn out chain. I ran my thumb over the front of it, frowning deeply. I clutched in the palm of my hand as I went back to the others, finally calling the love of my life for what may be the last time.


	29. Living Nightmare

Chapter 28:

Living Nightmare

Envy's P.O.V:

The calmness that resided in me as I waited was partially unsettling. Why am I so calm? At any other point I would be a shaking, stomach churning mess. I was at complete ease with this plan. Oh, wait a minute. Is this why L wanted me to have a good reason to die? So I wouldn't fear my death? Hmm…

I huffed in impatience. I reached over, opening the glove box. I moved things around in plain curiosity. I didn't find much. There were only a few napkins and a pack of cigarettes. I looked around me, checking for anyone who might see. I don't know why. It's not like I would be scolded for snooping by a stranger. I grabbed the cigarettes and opened the box. I pulled one out, inspecting it. I raised it to my nose to inhale the scent. Man, how I hated the way these things smelled. I had to admit, though, that if Matt had been in this position I would end up missing the daily smell of it after his passing. I placed the pack back in the glove box, but kept the lone cigarette in my hand, playing with it.

"_Got a secret. Can ya keep it? Swear this one you'll save. Better lock it in your pocket, takin' this one to the grave."_

I jumped when my phone began blasting its ringtone. I had been expecting and most certainly dreading this moment all morning. I sighed, somehow not yet ready or mentally prepared to speak with him. I picked up the singing phone, sucked in a deep breath, and answered it.

Mello's P.O.V:

"Hi." Her voice was incredibly soft, the kind of soft she would use to make sure I wouldn't yell too much. It seemed as though she was expecting my call.

"What are you doing, Envy?" I barked louder than I meant to.

"I don't have to say it. I know Near has told you already."

"Fine. Then, why?" I barked. She laughed lightly on the other end.

"To keep a promise."

I stared at the ground, wondering for a moment what she meant. I shook my head, deciding it best not to question it. I ran a hand through my hair as my mind raced for words, any words, to say to her. She spoke before me.

"I'm keeping the positives in my head about this, though."

"Positives?" I scoffed. "What kind of positives could there be?"

Near and Matt looked up at me from the couch. Matt's eyes were wide in worry, fear, and surprise at my statement. Near was twirling his hair, as usual, but his eyes were wide in what I assumed was fear.

"Well, for starters, I can drive Sally without Matt beside me to bitch. And I get to be on television." She laughed lightly. I frowned, shaking my head. Her laugh was empty, devoid of any real emotion. There was no happiness, no bitterness, nothing. It was fake.

"And," she continued, "I feel like I'm finally doing something right."

"…Envy, I-"

"It's almost time for me to go, Mello."

"What? No, Envy. Call Tease and both of you get back here right now! You can't do this. Come back and let Matt and me take care of this! There's still time. I won't allow you to go through with this damn switch-out plan of yours!" I yelled at her. My worry was melting to anger quickly.

"Oh, my love, my Mello..." Her voice was quiet, full of affection. "I have to go now. I'll let you know right now that I don't regret doing this, by the way. I'll call you when Tease and I have completed the mission, alright? I'll see you soon. I love you, Mihael."

And with that the line went dead. She hung up on me. I sat, frozen in my position, for a moment. I finally thawed out, throwing the phone to the ground with a string of profanity spilling from my mouth. To my surprise neither Near nor Matt flinched or jumped at my outburst. I stood up, still clenching Envy's necklace in my palm, and resumed my pacing. I turned to Matt.

"Call Tease. There's still time. Make her come back. Make them both come back!"

"I tried before we came over here. She wouldn't answer." He closed his eyes, rubbing them with his fingertips.

I huffed. "Damn this."

Silently, Near moved toward the coffee table. He picked up the remote, turned the television on, and changed the channel. I glanced up when I heard a woman's voice. I focused in on the scene, noticing it was the event that Naomi Takada was supposed to be at. Otherwise known as our kidnapping point. What the hell? Near wanted to watch how things played out? Sick bastard.

"We might as well see how well they do this." He mumbled when he caught my eye. I scowled, reluctantly looking at the screen. Matt looked up as well. I couldn't focus on it, though. My mind was working at an incredible pace. We couldn't just sit here while the girls, our best friends and, to two of us, our loves, willingly took our place in this plan. They deserved to live on. They had much more to give in life. What could we do to stop this? Was there anything we could do?

I was pulled from my thoughts when madness erupted on the screen. Screams were muffled as the newswoman spoke over the audio in a panicked manner. The little screen in the corner showing the feed enlarged, giving us a clearer image of the scene. A large dark cloud of smoke surrounded the entrance of the hotel. People were running in fear. Matt's Mustang could be seen fleeing from the corner of the screen. Nothing else was visible, give for the red and blue lights chasing after the car. I looked away when the scene got cut away back to the newsroom.

"…I'm sorry." Near muttered, his dark guilt filled eyes still glued to the screen.

"None of this is your fault, man. Don't apologize." Matt sat back into the couch.

"…" Near's brows knitted together like he was thinking of a response. I cursed at myself at the words about to come out of my mouth.

"He's right, twit. None of this is your fault. I'm sure you tried your best to stop them." I watched the ground with a newfound interest as they looked toward me. Near's shock seemed to vanish almost immediately, but Matt's stayed. I stood up, deciding to pace some more. All of this had me shaken up. While walking in a continuous line, my life with Envy flashed before my eyes. All of our good and bad times seemed to all be precious now. The one memory that seemed to stick out was the day we met. I could clearly remember that day. We were young, yes, but she took my breath away the second I saw her. Love at first sight. She still to this very day can take breath away. It doesn't matter how she looks. She can be wearing the sexiest little outfit with the best make-up or wearing an oversized hoodie with sweatpants and not a single drop of make-up. It doesn't matter. She's still the most beautiful creature in the world.

"Holy fuck." Matt breathed. I pulled myself out of my memories to see why he cursed. I followed his gaze to the screen. A long string of cops were following the Mustang. I leaned against the chair as I watched. I hated the situation, but I had to admit: she could handle the car pretty damn well. I rubbed my forehead.

"She can handle it well." I murmured.

"Yeah. I didn't think she knew how to really drive it."

Near abruptly jumped up, hastily excusing himself from the room. I barely glanced up at him, too focused on the drama Envy was putting herself through. I held my breath when the newswoman gushed something about a blockade. Blockade? Hell. Shit. Fuck. Piss. Please don't get hurt, Envy…please! I barely spared Near a glance as he came back in the room.

"Pardon me, gentlemen, but-" Near started. He stopped himself as Envy met the blockade, skidding to the side as she forced the car to stop. Silence fell over us and the people in the newsroom. We watched in horror as the police raised their guns at the car. The car door slung open. The audio feed of the scene came through the speakers of the television.

"Hey, come on. Give me a break." Envy called out as she got out of the car with her hands in the air. I took the moment to study her. She looked exactly like Matt. It was unnatural. She even allowed a cigarette to hang from her lips.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say it really was you." I muttered to Matt. He nodded silently. Envy had deepened her voice some, sounding exactly like her brother. If this situation were different, I'd be impressed. I strained to listen as she kept speaking.

"Since when were the Japanese allowed to carry around such big guns? You got me. I'm part of this whole kidnapping incident. That means you'll have a lot of questions to ask. You won't shoot-"

She was cut off as the police began firing. Matt covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. I covered my mouth when I felt the bile rising. The shooting lasted only five seconds, but the sight was a nightmare turned to reality. The air was stiff around us. I heard the door slam shut. Near must've left. I couldn't take my eyes off of her form. Blood spilled from her bullet wounds, staining the front of her vest and darkening her jeans. More of the crimson liquid flooded down the front and side of her face. She wavered before collapsing to the ground. Her head violently bounced against the totaled Mustang before it hung down, the unlit cigarette falling from her blood stained lips.

My actions were robotic. I didn't even realize I had grabbed the remote until the screen blackened. I stared at our reflections in the screen. I noticed I was crying. Absently, I reached up and wiped at the salty stream. I dared a glance at Matt. His eyes were puffy as tears rolled freely down his face. His eyes and nose matched with the same red color. I grabbed his elbow and yanked him to me. His arms wrapped around me and mine went around him. Usually I wouldn't allow something like this to happen, but, under these circumstances, I allowed it. I don't know how long we stayed like that; simply hugging for some form of comfort and crying for our lost friend.

"I wonder what's become of Tease…" Matt muttered when he let his arms drop and press himself back into the couch cushioning. I rubbed my forehead with a shrug, remaining on the edge of the couch.

"She's probably off somewhere, doing as I planned to do with Takada."

"Wonder if she knows about En…"

I let my gaze fall to the floor. If she didn't know, who would tell her? How will she react? Envy is her best friend. Things won't be good. I glanced up toward the coffee table when he spoke again.

"…What should we do now?"

"What can we do?" I rubbed my throat at the hoarseness of it. "We can only sit and wait for any word about them."

"…This is Hell."

"…Yeah."

"…Is this how they would've felt if we did it?"

I rubbed my thumb over the cross pendant again and again as I thought about Matt's question. Had things gone as they were originally planned, is this actually how the girls would've felt? Would they be falling apart at the evil thoughts? Crying and screaming from the unbearable scene that was shown on television? I ran a hand through my hair with a sigh. Shit.

"Probably."

"You hungry?"

"You're really asking me that?"

"…I'm upset. I just need something to do to preoccupy my mind for a while."

I let a soft chuckle escape. "You two are too similar. She always needs to distract herself when she gets upset."

I felt his eyes burning into the back of my head. His voice was eerily quiet and hesitant when he spoke. "…Were. Needed. Got."

I stiffened. I took in a deep breath, letting my shoulders slightly slump. "…Right. Sorry."

Matt didn't say a word as he got up and went toward the kitchen. I kept my gaze locked on the carpet as he passed. I allowed my eyes to slink shut, images of the past dancing across my eyelids. My mind lingered on Envy before slowly turning toward Tease. Where is she? Is she alright? Is she in any danger yet? Oh, God. I hope she's still alive and alright. I vaguely registered the sound of Matt's phone ringing in the background. I sighed, rubbing my tired eyes. This has to be the worst day of my life…of Matt's life…of Near's life…all of our lives. Everything has taken a downhill turn. This time…this time I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel. Everything is ruined. As of right now, Tease is M.I.A. And Envy is dead.

**.::Author's Note::.**

**Finally…I finally finished this chapter! *does little happy dance* Thank goodness. I'm sorry it took a while to get this up. I just kinda blanked on how to continue it. I am also sorry if the ending is a little…awkward or anything. It's 2:30 A.M. My brain dies at 9 P.M. So…yeah…anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter! And don't worry. You'll find out what's happened to Tease in the next one! Ciao for now! ;) **


	30. Nothing to Regret

Chapter 29:

Nothing to Regret

Tease's P.O.V:

I waited patiently. I sat in the shadows as Envy began to make her move. She sped toward the crowd, shooting the smokescreen gun. A black cloud suddenly covered the area. I hastily started the bike up again as she fled the scene and rode into it. I came to a halt just a few feet away from Takada and that Halle woman. Halle looked back at me while keeping Takada covered.

"Don't do it. Take a look around. It's not safe for her here, not even inside." I tried to convince her, but she didn't seem to buy it. She was too busy studying my build. I rolled my eyes, deciding to try again.

"It's best if she gets out of here right now! Miss Takada, come with me." I waited as Halle continued to stare at me. "Now!"

Halle dropped her shoulders at my tone, turning down to Takada. I couldn't hear what she said to her, but Takada immediately turned and ran to me, getting on the back of the bike without a moment's hesitation. Once I felt her arms around my waist I took off. I kept up a normal speed, foolishly thinking that Halle wouldn't send people after me. I glanced back, noticing three black cars surrounding me. They can't follow me. I have to lose them. I turned onto a sidewalk, picking up a little bit of speed as I did so, knowing they couldn't fit their cars into the space to follow me. Sure, they had guns they could shoot to try and stop me, but they wouldn't dare it with their precious Naomi Takada riding along with me.

I reached down, linking a handcuff to her wrist. I felt more than heard her gasp before she questioned my actions. I ignored her, continuing on with the mission. She didn't need to know for now. I kept going until I found the truck Mello had mentioned at one point. I drove the bike into the back of it with surprising ease. I stopped it, pushing the kickstand down and climbing off. I went back to the doors of the truck as she scrambled off the motorcycle. I shut the doors before facing her. She cowered against the wall, staring at me with wide eyes. Figuring I was safe, I took that awful helmet off. Her eyes narrowed, as if she were trying to figure something out. I happily glared back.

"Take off everything you're wearing and put it in that box." I commanded. I could hear her sharp breaths of fear as she glanced at the box. I pulled out a gun I "borrowed" from Matt and aimed at her. Not as a threat, no, just as an intimidation method.

"Hurry up." I half-heartedly barked. She stared back at me. Fear was evident in her eyes. Oh, damn. I'm starting to feel a little guilty. I raised a light pink blanket up for her to see. "You can use this blanket."

She hesitantly turned around beginning to strip. I felt a little bad watching her, but I couldn't risk taking my eyes off of her. She may have some weapon hidden on her. She had gotten down to her underwear before pausing. Her head inclined toward me.

"Before I take off the rest, could I please have the blanket so I can wrap it around me?"

I felt suspicion pulse through me, but I wouldn't be so cruel as to deny her…could I? No. I couldn't. If I were in her position, I'd be grateful if my request was fulfilled.

"…Whatever you want." I tossed the blanket toward her. I kept the gun aiming toward her as she quickly covered herself to strip the rest of the way. I idly thought for a moment if she really thought that I was Mello. When I get in the cab of the truck I'll have to look at my reflection to check out Envy's work. I jumped back to reality when Takada slid down to the floor, burying her face in her hands. I glanced at the box. All of her clothes were thrown in there. I went to it, picked it up, and left her alone. I locked her in before jumping into the driver's seat.

oOoOo!HeyLookALineBreak!oOoOo

Before going any further, I put on a uniform over my clothes that had been neatly folded in the passenger seat. I taped up the box of her clothes. I pulled into a truck loading zone, getting ready to hop out. I threw on the cap that went with the outfit, tucked the box under my arm, and calmly went to an open truck. I set the box down without a second thought about it. Tucking my cap down to further my face, I went back to the truck. I started it up, continuing my journey once more. I turned on the small television that sat in cab with me.

I silently groaned to myself. This was the only thing that could be done. This was it. The only way. If we didn't do this, then Matt and Mello would have been forced to. We couldn't have allowed that. Now that I think about it, I wonder how Envy is doing. I hope she's alright. I'm praying that nothing bad has-

"As for the suspect who was gunned down earlier, we're still not able to identify him."

I watched the screen in horror as the newsman continued to talk. I didn't hear a word he said. I only noticed the totaled Mustang. _No. Oh, God, please no._ Envy was caught. Envy was gunned down…_gunned down_. She was killed? This can't be happening. I'm sorry, En. I'm sorry, Mello. I'm sorry, Matt. I'm sorry, Near. I should've said no. I should've pushed her back toward the hotel. I could've stopped this. This isn't right. She was supposed to live. We had everything planned out perfectly for us to make our escape, yet now…

"Dammit." I cursed out loud. I felt the tears rolling down my face. I couldn't stop them. Holy shit, I needed to stop them. My vision is blurring. This isn't safe. I have to stop crying right now. If I don't I might-

I gasped as the wheel was thrown from my grasp. I felt the truck rocking as I rolled off the road. I didn't fully realize what was happening until it was too late. The truck smacked against unforgiving brick. I was thrown forward, hitting my head against the steering wheel rather harshly. The impact managed to break the glass window leading to the back where Takada was being kept. I kept my head against the wheel and shut my eyes due to the pain that raced through me from my head injury and what I was sure was a broken arm. I just barely heard Takada moving around. A few moments later I heard her voice.

"Light…I…Light, Light, please save me!...O-Okay…No, no I don't know where I am. I was out into a truck that was locked from the outside."

I raised my head, keeping my breathing quiet. What the hell? She reached in here and took the phone to call Kira? Does…does she think I'm dead? I turned my head, trying to listen a little more.

"…Yes, I remember…I remember. I did what you told me to, Light. I did it. I didn't struggle, even when he stripped me naked. I did exactly as you said. I made survival my first priority. And…I did it."

That confirmed everything I thought. She actually thought I was Mello. She did think I was dead. But wait. She keeps saying 'I did it'. Did she somehow have part of the Death Note with her? Does she know Mello's true name in order to kill him?

"Please, Light. I did everything that you told me to. Come quickly! Save me!...I-I know, b-but, Light-…I can do it."

I glared at nothing in particular as sounds of Takada's sobs filled my ears. I bit my tongue as I heard her speak again a few moments later. Whoever it was, she was telling them to send her as many names of people she could punish as possible. She definitely has part of the Death Note with her. Damn…

I wasn't granted much more to time to think about this situation. I glanced into one of the rearview mirrors in time to notice flames. A fire? But how? It couldn't be a random wildfire, not in this abandoned church. Did that bitch somehow have matches on her, too?! Oh well. I can't think too much about it. I need to get out before I'm also lost. I threw open the door with the arm that wasn't throbbing and moved to get out. The second pressure was applied to my right foot, my leg gave out and I fell to the ground. I cried out in pain. I must've broken my leg somehow, too. I struggled to get up as the wicked flames consumed more of the old building. All around me the building cracked. I wobbled as best I could toward any exit I could find. I yelped and fell once more as part of the ceiling crashed down in front of me. I rolled out of the way, biting my lip in fear and more pain. I sat up and began dragging myself toward an exit that looked safe. I started coughing when smoke began to fill my lungs. Oh, crap. This isn't good.

"Please, no…" I choked out. "None of this…was supposed…to happen…"

My vision quickly began to blacken around the edges. I pulled myself even harder toward the exit that now seemed impossibly far. I eventually made it out, swallowed the dry lump in my throat. I lay down on my back, staring up at the sky as the dark smoke from the merciless flames licked at the sky. I felt my breath getting shallow while my vision worsened. I slowly let my eyes close, the weakness in me becoming overwhelming. These may just be my last moments. Whether they are or not, I can say one thing honestly: I've got nothing to regret. There's not a thing in my life that I would change.

**.::Author's Note::.**

**Woo! Another chapter done! :D I honestly hope this was good…I've gotten out of touch with Tease's P.O.V…so, review this, maybe, telling me how I'm doing? I'd highly appreciate it!**


	31. It's Not Over

Chapter 30:

It's Not Over

Matt's P.O.V.

I stared at the phone in my hand. My head was spinning even more now. I had to get Mello. We had to go. I stuffed my phone back in my pocket, running back to the living room more than likely looking like a moron since I halfway galloped in my excitedly confused state. Mello still sat on the couch, eyes glazed over as he thought. I gallop-ran to him, pushing his shoulder with both hands. He fell over, instantly getting pissed.

"What the hell?!" He yelled.

"Get up! We have to go!" I replied, looking for my coat.

"I'm not going anywhere." He scoffed, resuming his position on the couch. I rolled my eyes, going back to him. I pushed his elbows upward, receiving an irritated glance.

"Let's go!" I tried again.

"No." He yanked away from me, causing me to let my annoying brotherly side come out. I began poking him, pushing him, pulling on him, doing anything I could to get him to agree to coming with me. As I pushed his buttons, he fought back physically and verbally.

"Yes! Mello, get up."

"No! Don't touch me."

"Come on!"

"Would you stop? Leave me- hey!"

"Just get your coat! It won't be anything bad!"

"Stop touching me!"

"Come with me and I'll quit."

"You're so annoying!"

"It's a specialty. Now come on!"

"Alright, alright! You win. Damn…"

"Yes!" I jumped up, a smile on my face as Mello wandered off to get his coat while grumbling to himself. I snatched up my own coat, putting it on and zipping it up as far as it would go. Mello finally came back out, his coat already on. I gripped his wrist and ran outside as fast as possible. I could feel him trying to keep his footing behind me as I ran.

"What the- where are we going?"

"You'll see!"

"Just tell me! You're not acting the way you should be right now…you know that?"

I could hear the pain in his voice, but I couldn't stop to explain everything properly. I just had to keep going. _'It's a good thing he has so much trust me in.' _I idly thought as we ran.

oOoOo!HeyLookALineBreak!oOoOo

Near's P.O.V.

"Have you gotten anywhere yet?" I asked Rester as I glanced over his shoulder. He shook his head.

"No, sir. Not yet. I'm close, though."

"Good. Call for me when you've received the information I've asked for."

"Yes, sir."

I turned on my heel, going to the window. I captured a section of my hair, twirling it between my fingers as I thought to myself the seemingly most random of things pertaining to the current situations at hand.

How miserable things are at this moment. I'm sure that this all could have been prevented by someone's single decision. Whose decision, though? L's? Kira's? A random bystander's? Perhaps we'll never know. And maybe, in the end, it doesn't matter. There's a chance all of this could've happened no matter what. Maybe not to us, maybe others in the future, but there's still a chance this whole Kira situation was meant to be.

Will the future, the future after Kira is locked away, be bright? I always pictured a life of happiness. I used to imagine Matt and Tease married with kids living beside Envy and Mello, who were engaged, and me living in a house beside them. We'd live in a quiet neighborhood with the cliché white picket fences and beautifully gardened yards. We would all live happily ever after.

Unfortunately, that cheesy yet wonderful dream is fading with each minute that passes. I sighed to myself as I heard a cell phone begin ringing. I barely listened as Rester mumbled something, answered the phone, mumbled some more, then snapped the phone shut.

"The others have arrived, sir." His voice echoed throughout the large waiting room. I kept my eyes locked on the sky. I hesitated a moment, though I'm unsure why, before replying.

"Excellent. Thank you, Rester."

"No problem, sir."

I slowly turned away from the window, making my way to the door in order to greet Matt and Mello. It took them awhile, but they eventually burst through the door. Though they were panting Matt seemed rather joyful while Mello seemed to be confused and angry. Their eyes instantly landed on me. Neither said a word to my surprise, so I spoke first.

"It's nice to see you both again."

"Why are we here?" Mello demanded with a snarl, stepping forward. I suppressed a sigh. He's always been so hostile.

"Matt hasn't told you?"

"Nah, ha-ha. Sorry." Matt smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got a little excited and didn't think to tell until after we started running here."

"What is going on?" Mello growled.

"Mello." I waited until he looked at me before continuing. "Envy is alright. She's alive."

The air tensed around us. The typing Rester had been filling the pauses with halted as he felt the shift. Mello's eyes went through a series of changes after they widened: confusion, shock, disbelief, relief, joy. They finally settled on anger as they narrowed toward me.

"She's alive? How dare you? We watched her get shot. We watched her fall against the car. We watched her bleed! How can you stand there, look me in the face, and tell me she's alive and alright?"

"Because she is." When he said nothing and Matt remained quiet, I turned my back to them. "Matt, Mello. Please follow me. Rester, continue your search. If you obtain the information needed in my absence, come to me immediately."

"Yes, sir." Rester returned to typing as I began walking. Behind me, I heard Matt and Mello following me. I led them down a long hallway filled with many turns before finally coming across the room Envy was kept in. I stepped to the side, sweeping an arm out as a signal for Mello and Matt to enter the room. Mello gave me a skeptical look before reaching for the handle.

"You know if you're lying in any way, I'll kill you, right?" He muttered.

"I'm well aware of what you would do if I were lying." I smirked lightly. I heard a quiet 'hmph' come from him before he finally opened the door.

Mello's P.O.V.

"I'm well aware of what you would do if I were lying." Near's annoying monotone voice leaked amusement. I rolled my eyes, letting out a sound of 'hmph', as I twisted the door handle. I pushed the door open, feeling Matt get as close to me as possible to look in the room with me as I did so.

When the door swung open, the steady beeping of machines could be heard. Matt and I glanced at each other then looked back inside, but I made no move to walk in. For some reason I just couldn't. Until Matt shoved me forward. I glared back at him, inching into the room as he followed with a cheeky smirk. I looked ahead of me again, craning my neck around a corner where the beeping was coming from. And then, once I could see the opening in the room, I stopped.

In the middle of the room, lying in a single bed with wires all around, was Envy. When Matt came past me, I heard him gasp softly. I felt myself moving toward her, kneeling beside her, observing her.

Her eyes were closed. Her lips were slightly parted as she breathed and were just oh so very pale. Her newly shortened brown locks were tangled with dried blood. Her chest would rise and fall, signaling she was breathing and alive. Envy was alive.

I pulled a chair close to her, gently taking one of her hands in my own. I flinched at how cold her skin seemed to be. I kept my gaze on her delicate features as Matt sat on the other side of Envy. I noticed him flinch when he took her hand as well. I glanced up when I heard footsteps. Near stood against the wall, looking directly at me. I returned his steady gaze. I creased my eyebrows in a silent question: _Are you responsible for her being here? _

He seemed to understand for he nodded once with breaking his gaze. I blinked once, hesitating, before letting a small grateful smile out for him: _Thank you._

His eyes widened a fraction at my smile. To most, a change wouldn't have been noticed, but after years of being around Near I could notice the small things.

As his surprise subsided, he smiled in return: _You're welcome._

**OoOoOo**

**.::Author's Note::.**

**Ta-dah! Envy is alive and (somewhat) well! :D **

**I originally did plan to have her die, but I just couldn't let things go on with a dead Envy. So, I have fixed things with this short chapter! **

**This totally would have been out sooner, BUT issues have prevented it. I have been absolutely obsessed with Hetalia still, especially with the season 5 recently coming out. With personified countries on my mind, it's kind of hard to get into Death Note. ^.^" Another reason I haven't updated in awhile: SCHOOL. It's soul-sucking and draining. X_X **

**Thankfully, I'm currently on Spring Break. Hopefully, I can squeeze out one more chapter for this story (andsomeHetaliaone-shotsforthosefans) before I have to go back to ****hell ****school. **

**Those of you who have stayed with story despite my terrible updating habits, thank you for reading! :]**


	32. Hope Restored

Chapter 31:

Hope Restored

.::/Matt's P.O.V\\::.

Near had been pulled from the hospital room shortly after we arrived. Something urgent had come up that needed his presence immediately. He apologized and invited us to sit with Envy while we wait for his return. In that time Mello's eyes hadn't left Envy since he entered the room. I could understand that. He thought the love of his life had died, but here she was, breathing and full of life. Well, maybe not _full _of it, but she was alive. I was grateful, too, now. Don't get me wrong here. My sister, my twin, my other half, my biggest pain in the ass (next to Mello) and my greatest joy, my oldest and closest friend…was _alive_. Even after we watched her get gunned down…and in my place no less.

It really should have been me, you know. It should have. I should've been the one to get in the car. I should've been the one to distract the cops. I should've been the one to say stupid shit and get shot for it. I should be the one laying in that hospital bed, knocked out, and oblivious to the world around me.

I do give the girls credit, though. They did think about safety more than Mello and I had. Had they never contacted Near for whatever reason then my sister might really be…well…_you know_. But she's not. That makes me wonder about Tease…

Did she take any precautions like En? Or did she refuse any help? Where is she? Did she stick to the plan? Is she okay? Is she still alive…? If we knew the answer to any, or preferably all, of those questions then all of our hope could be restored. But we don't know anything. We all lost track of her. God, please, let her be safe and okay…

OoOoOo

"Hey. Hey." Mello called out. I felt my eyes widen on their own before rapidly blinking to put moisture back in them. When did they dry out? I must have spaced out for a long while.

"What?" I looked up at him.

"You need a smoke break or something?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Because you're getting all twitchy over there. Your leg hasn't stopped bouncing for the last ten minutes."

I glanced down, realizing he was right. I regained control of myself, stopping my leg. I sighed as I rubbed my hand down my face and sunk into my seat. Half a minute of silence passed before Mello spoke up again.

"You should-" he paused to clear his throat, "I mean, she's gonna be alright, you know. She's a strong girl."

Staring toward him I was speechless. He was watching Envy, but I could tell just by the look on his face that he meant someone else entirely. Her. Tease.

"She's a pain in my neck, yeah, but she knows how to handle herself when she's on her own." He admitted.

The sincerity in his eyes partially shocked me. I knew he actually cared for her, despite how they acted toward one another, but I didn't think he honestly believed her to be able to take care of herself wherever she is.

When he looked to me for a response I nodded my head before turning to look out the window. Not much time after that was wasted, for Near rushed back in the room. His face was blank, but his eyes portrayed a vast ocean of wild emotions. When he opened his mouth to speak no words could have been sweeter to hear at the time.

"She's been found."

In an instant I was putting my coat on to head out the door. I was going to ride with whoever was designated to pick her up. I needed to see her. I needed to make sure she was alright. But, wait. What if…?

I stopped moving. I whipped around to look at Near. His eyes were already toward, boring into my own. The air was tense. No one spoke. Time seemed to stand still as fear bubbled up from inside and momentarily consumed me. I could feel Mello's eyes bouncing back and forth between us as we held our own little staring competition. I wanted to say the words so badly, but I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted to hear his response. Though it seemed he already knew what was on mind. Something in his eyes gave it away. I began to tremble in the suffocating silence, in the anticipation.

He nodded. A wave of relief washed over me, cleansing me of all my worry. My muscles relaxed, thought I don't recall them tensing in the first place. I finished putting my jacket on and followed Near as he turned on his heel to leave the room.

We were going to get Tease. She was alive. Thank you, God! Odin! Zeus; whoever may be up there and answered my prayers!

Following Near through the eerily white halls my mind was racing. Tease. Was. Alive. Our hope has now been completely restored.

**OoOoOo**

**Holy. Crap. I'm. So. So. Sorry. Writer's block sucks. It really, really does. But at least I finally got this done, right? Right? No? You're all still mad? Okay. I'm seriously sorry, bros. I'm in my last semester of my senior year of high school (*throws confetti*), I've been busy catching up with a friend who I hadn't truly talked to in two years, fandoms have been emotionally killing me, and I've been trying to spend time with my boyfriend before he signs up for his army stuff and leaves. Ughhh. But you have a very short 31 now. Hopefully, maybe, I can start working on 32 soon and get it posted before too long passes. **


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